U.S. Must Treat Pakistan as More than a Rainy Day Girlfriend

What’s the Latest Development?

As the U.S. comes to grips with the reality that its broad security partnership with Pakistan is over, officials hope to salvage a more limited counterterrorism alliance though they acknowledge this will complicate their ability to launch attacks against extremists and move supplies into Afghanistan. As Pakistan re-evaluates the entire relationship an opposition MP there sums up local anger: “We feel like the U.S. treats Pakistan like a rainy-day girlfriend.” 

What’s the Big Idea?

In one of the most visible signs of rising anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, tens of thousands protested in Lahore and Peshawar this month. On Sunday in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, at least 100,000 people rallied to support Imran Khan, a cricket celebrity and rising opposition politician who is outspoken in his criticism of the drone strikes and ties with the U.S.