The relations between Pakistan and the United States have always been defined by utility rather than trust. From the Cold War to the post-9/11 era, Pakistan was useful when Washington needed an ally, but once the mission ended, it was quickly discarded. That legacy of transactionalism continues to haunt the relationship today.

In the 1950s and 60s, Pakistan joined SEATO and CENTO, lent Washington the Badaber base and aligned itself against the Soviet Union. Yet when the 1965 war broke out with India, it found itself abandoned. In the 1970s, Pakistan played a decisive role in paving the way for US-China rapprochement, but when East Pakistan collapsed, Washington did little to help. The Afghan jihad of the 1980s again made Islamabad indispensable, but the taps were shut once the Soviets withdrew. After 9/11, Pakistan was dubbed a "major non-NATO ally" but was soon blamed for instability and sidelined when the Taliban resurged.

This history matters because it frames the present. The recent warming of ties between Islamabad and Washington is less a strategic reset than another tactical engagement. The US wants Pakistan to stay neutral in the Iran-Israel conflict and possibly be available as a discreet channel to Tehran.........

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