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A.Q. Khan and our ally, Pakistan

February 11, 2009 by Elan Journo

On paper, at least, the United States and Pakistan are allies, but it’s a seriously troubled relationship–to put things mildly. Take, for instance, Pakistan’s past sponsorship of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and its ongoing close ties to Islamists (a subject for future posts). Yet another red flag: the case of A.Q. Khan, a scientist who helped develop Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. Khan gained notoriety in the West when he was busted for illicitly selling nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, North Korea and perhaps others. So you might expect that the Pakistani regime would at least hand him a punishment commensurate with his actions–but Khan, who is something of a folk hero, was placed under house arrest. Now comes news that Pakistan’s government has released Khan from house arrest (with some minor restrictions).

The signs keep pointing to the conclusion that the U.S.-Pakistan alliance was built on a great deal of American self-delusion. I’ve argued that our policymakers plunged us into this messy, harmful relationship, in large part because they failed to judge Pakistan objectively. It didn’t have to be this way, and we could turn things around, but not until we face up to what we’re dealing with.

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