Richard Stengel, Time magazine's Managing Director, described the U.S.' relationship with Pakistan as a "symbiotic relationship" - that it is essential to the interests of both countries. For instance, the U.S. depends on Pakistan for supply routes into Afghanistan and for support in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Pakistan depends on the U.S. for financial support and weapons. However, Pakistan has proven to be a selective partner in the fight against terrorism, in addition to being the host country for Osama bin Laden for at least five years.
Discuss the U.S.-Pakistan relationship by addressing some or all of the following:
1.Is the U.S.-Pakistan relationship worth saving? Do you believe that this relationship is indeed essential to U.S. interests?
2. Can Pakistan be trusted by the U.S.? Can Pakistan trust the U.S.?
3. Should the U.S. continue, curtail or completely stop foreign aid to Pakistan (a nation that has received some $20-billion in U.S. aid over the past decade)?
4. Should the U.S. continue deadly drone attacks across the border into Pakistan, targeting alleged militants, insurgents, and terror suspects (attacks Pakistan considers a major violation of its sovereignty)?
5. What are the short and long-term implications of an increasingly unstable Pakistan, especially as it concerns U.S. interests and U.S. Homeland Security? Remember, Pakistan is a nuclear state that is widely considered the world's most volatile, unstable nation?
6.How concerned should the U.S. be that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal may "fall into the hands" of terrorists or other extremists?