Overcoming the adversarial mindset on the other side of the "wall" is never easy. It not only takes time, it often involves a leap of faith. The Jackson-Vanik Amendment of 1974 lives on eternally despite the "non-existence" of the USSR and its restrictions on Jewish emigration; its repeal is solely now the function of politics in the United States - and not of Russian policy or politics.
The analogy helps comprehend to an extent the meaning of the decision Pakistan took last week to accord "most-favored nation" (MFN) status to India in trade relations. It took a decade-and-a-half for Pakistan to reciprocate India's own MFN decision of 1996.
The Pakistani government has shown statesmanship. But, curiously, it is also brilliant realpolitik.the decision hold much significance for regional security and stability. How did this happen?
If wishes had wings ...
Intrinsically, the blossom appears as a precocious, unseasonal flowering out of a mere sapling - the sapling of "dialogue" between the two countries, which is still tender and vulnerable to blight.
The dialogue process began originally under persistent United States prodding, but has since been struggling to come into its own although it survived the chill in the US-Pakistan relationship. In the US calculus originally, India-Pakistan normalization would go hand-in-hand with its overall regional AfPak strategy, thereby creating synergy. In the event, though, disequilibrium appeared with the virtual collapse of the US's AfPak strategy.
But Islamabad has taken a rational decision to keep appreciating India's "neutrality" vis-a-vis the US-Pakistan standoff. Thus, two weeks ago, when an Indian military helicopter
with three senior army officers on board strayed in bad weather deep into Pakistani territory in the super-sensitive Siachen sector in Kashmir, general headquarters in Rawalpindi took the decision to allow the helicopter to return within a matter of hours - a rare gesture (for both sides) in the chronicle of their troubled relationship.
In political terms, though, Pakistan's statesmanlike approach puts pressure on India to reciprocate. India needs to come up with something "doable" like its MFN decision to take the normalization process forward.
Read more information:
Latest News: US News
Get Details A bouts : Science News
The analogy helps comprehend to an extent the meaning of the decision Pakistan took last week to accord "most-favored nation" (MFN) status to India in trade relations. It took a decade-and-a-half for Pakistan to reciprocate India's own MFN decision of 1996.
The Pakistani government has shown statesmanship. But, curiously, it is also brilliant realpolitik.the decision hold much significance for regional security and stability. How did this happen?
If wishes had wings ...
Intrinsically, the blossom appears as a precocious, unseasonal flowering out of a mere sapling - the sapling of "dialogue" between the two countries, which is still tender and vulnerable to blight.
The dialogue process began originally under persistent United States prodding, but has since been struggling to come into its own although it survived the chill in the US-Pakistan relationship. In the US calculus originally, India-Pakistan normalization would go hand-in-hand with its overall regional AfPak strategy, thereby creating synergy. In the event, though, disequilibrium appeared with the virtual collapse of the US's AfPak strategy.
But Islamabad has taken a rational decision to keep appreciating India's "neutrality" vis-a-vis the US-Pakistan standoff. Thus, two weeks ago, when an Indian military helicopter
with three senior army officers on board strayed in bad weather deep into Pakistani territory in the super-sensitive Siachen sector in Kashmir, general headquarters in Rawalpindi took the decision to allow the helicopter to return within a matter of hours - a rare gesture (for both sides) in the chronicle of their troubled relationship. In political terms, though, Pakistan's statesmanlike approach puts pressure on India to reciprocate. India needs to come up with something "doable" like its MFN decision to take the normalization process forward.
Read more information:
Latest News: US News
Get Details A bouts : Science News
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