“You can’t bomb your way out of a relationship,” an old CIA officer once quipped about Pakistan. He meant it bitterly. But he wasn’t wrong. There’s a strange kind of intimacy between the U.S. and Pakistan—one forged not in peace treaties or shared values, but in logistics, secrets, and the ghosts of wars neither side won. And no matter how many times the think tank crowd in Washington declares it over, the Pentagon keeps dialing Rawalpindi. Which raises the uncomfortable question: why does America’s military still trust Pakistan’s generals more than its politicians? The Cold Calculus of the Pentagon Washington loves the idea of “strategic partners.” But what the Pentagon really loves is predictability. Runways that stay open. Officers who speak the same military shorthand. Armies that can be counted on to act, even when elected leaders can’t. That’s why, from CENTCOM to Kabul, Pakistan’s army remains the U.S. military’s indispensable complication . It’s the same institution...
Strategic analysis on geopolitics, financial systems, and Pakistani affairs, blended with personal stories and commentary from Karachi. Written by Munaeem Jamal.