The US historically viewed Pakistan as a critical ally in its global war on terror, but this stance has changed dramatically in the last few years as the US’s conception of Pakistan transitioned from a strategic partner to a transactional ally and leaning more towards China. This shift is analyzed using constructivist theory based on a multiplicity of US government documents, media discourse, and policies outlined between 2001 and 2025. The analysis shows that US policy characterized by anti-India rhetorical tropes, institutional exclusion, and systemic marginalization subsequently aligned Pakistan more closely to China, most notably under the auspices of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The investigation then contextualizes this shift in a broader hegemonic battle between the US and China, and Pakistan's geostrategic location as the pivot of that struggle. In the end the analysis argues that US policy must adopt a more symmetric regional approach that avoids binary alliances, including antagonistic ties, that lead to strategic misalignments as what is found through this case study.
Siddiqui et al. (Fri,) studied this question.