The Post Cold War US Sanctions on Pakistan: Rationale and Impacts

Abstract

Pakistan US relations right from the beginning have been developed between close friend ship and serious frictions which also reflects the change of international and regional politics. The US has subjected Pakistan to a unilateral sanctions regime on several crucial junctures during these bilateral ties. This nature of relationship can also be observed with respect of the sanctions on the course of relationship between a super power having its global interests and a small state with only regional interests. This brief provides first scholarly over review of major US legislative and executive orders imposing economic and military sanctions on Pakistan since 1990’s up till now. These US sanctions against Pakistan are analyzed in the light of sanction as a foreign policy tool. This study tries to find out the US motives behind the imposition of these sanctions on Pakistan including foreign policy mechanism of US as well as its objectives as super power. This research also shed light on prevailing economic and socio political conditions of Pakistan which paved way for US to impose sanctions upon it and the latter’s response. . This study argues that US sanctions on Pakistan failed to achieve the desirous results. These sanctions compelled Pakistan to look towards other countries and change its way. The deductive approach is used to find, analyze and explain the findings with the help of theoretical frame work of offensive structural realism. This research used qualitative methodology to reach on conclusions. The time frame of the study involves the US sanctions on Pakistan since 1990 up till now. This thesis used multiple archival documents which argues that Pakistan though a small state was vividly ploy its way through restricted US foreign policy comprises of sanctions. It not only succeeded in getting the attired conventional capability through US immense support and military assistance but also acquired nuclear capability with firm determination and with the help of other countries. This study proves that main objective of US behind the imposition of these sanctions were only to meet its immediate objective as sole super power of this world, wants to maintain its hegemony and keep the balance of power in its favor