Storm of Events

The nomination of Chuck Hagel for the American secretary of defense position suggests that the rumors that are coming true: President Obama has prepared a new agenda for his second term, in which he will try to restore the deteriorating image of America after the Iraq and Afghanistan war. New speeches and statements are anticipated from the top government officials regarding this.

Initially, John Kerry was appointed for the secretary of defense position, which was good news for Pakistan. He holds positive views toward Pakistan, and is respected by Pakistanis. After Kerry’s appointment, the second main nomination was for the defense minister. No one knew who would be nominated for this position. However, Pakistan’s former foreign minister, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, recently said in an interview with Dunya News that “Chuck Hagel is one of the potential nominees for the secretary of defense position and I have heard that the White House has more preference for Chuck Hagel. If he is nominated, then it’s good news for Pakistan. I know him personally. He has good sentiments for Pakistan.” Mr. Kasuri was right. After some days, Hagel was nominated; but it won’t be easy for him to get approved by Congress.

Chuck Hagel is known to be moderate regarding not only Pakistan, but Arabs and Palestinians as well; he does not support the Israeli government’s extremism. His personal opinion is that Israel as a democratic nation should also respect the democratic rights of the Palestinians; he believes that Israel should engage in dialog with Hamas.

Hamas is in a position in which, if negotiations were opened, the Palestinians and the Arabs would support any agreement; without the support of Palestinians and the majority of the Arab population in the region, the Israel-Palestine issue cannot be resolved. Obviously, the Israeli extremist government will not like this moderate approach. Hagel was also against the Iraq war, which is why the extremist Republican lobby does not support him. The members of the Republican Party and the Israeli lobby will definitely object to his nomination, and they will try their best to ensure that his nomination is not approved by Congress. India, which holds negative views toward both John Kerry and Chuck Hagel, will also side with Israel. The Indian lobby is quite powerful in Congress and has been working with the Israeli lobby for years.

India did not like the new speeches and statements by President Obama. The powerful officials in the Obama administration who favored India over Pakistan have left. Hillary Clinton is at the top of the list of those who have given intense statements against Pakistan. During her last visit to India, she told an Indian journalist that both India and America are fighting against Pakistan’s terrorism, and that Pakistan continues to ignore the requests of India and America to arrest Hafeez Saeed, the mastermind behind the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Clinton’s statements showed her willingness to team up with India and take stronger action against Pakistan. However, White House policy does not reflect her views. Hillary Clinton was the only person among Obama’s administration to ever make this sort of statement against Pakistan, and the nomination of John Kerry after Clinton’s exit proves that President Obama will change policies regarding Pakistan during his second term. The Assistant Sectary of State Robert Blake is also a friend of India; there have been rumors that he might leave the administration. Kurt Campbell, the current assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, sometimes favors the Indian point of view, but he is also leaving his position.

Indian policy-makers fear that after America leaves Afghanistan, it will grant Pakistan a more effective role in the region. America’s struggle to negotiate with the Taliban will be unsuccessful without Pakistan’s help.

The Indian fear about the new [U.S.] administration is a result of its extremist views about Pakistan. India has not yet understood the implications of the Pakistani army’s new defense plan. Regardless, this historic policy shift has huge implications, and India should have waited for the results of this change.

Recently, Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the majority of the votes because of his extremist policies. He campaigned against Pakistan and Muslims in his election campaign. He is considered a potential nominee for chief minister for BJP. There will be elections in eight Indian states in the coming days, and the results will affect the national elections. The sudden tense statements from the Indian government and leaders are not just empty words. India did not raise the issue of the favorite trade nation without a reason. This is part of their election campaign, and is also an expression of their concerns about the improving relationship between America and Pakistan.

There are still misunderstandings about Pakistan in America. This process is moving forward very slowly and no one knows what other barriers will arise from the different groups in Afghanistan. The former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah (from the Northern Alliance) has written an article about what will happen in Afghanistan after Hamid Karzai leaves; that article expresses some very serious concerns for both Pakistan and America. There seems to be no good news coming to Pakistan in the near future. The Pakistani nation, lacking any other option, can only pray.