Mapping Contours of Pakistan-US Foreign Policies in Trump Era: Narrative and Counter-Narratives

Abstract

Narratives are used by the states to create an environment in which foreign policy takes place. The US, over the years, has framed the war on terror and its relations with Pakistan in a specific way to justify its foreign policy goals. It has used coercion as well as enticements in order to force Pakistan to fulfill its foreign policy wish-list. Pakistan which has over the years been on the receiving end of these narratives has displayed unprecedented counter-narrative strategy. Applying Neoclassical Realism as a theoretical paradigm, this paper maps the continuity and change in the narrative and counter-narrative strategies of the US and Pakistan.