From Counterterror Comrade to Beijing’s Bridgehead

This study analyzes the transformation of U.S. perceptions of Pakistan from a frontline ally in the War on Terror (WoT) to a China-aligned strategic enigma. Anchored in a constructivist theoretical framework, it investigates how identity construction, discourse, and symbolic exclusion have shaped U.S. strategic thinking between 2001 and 2025. Using a qualitative research methodology, the study draws on U.S. policy documents, defense agreements, media narratives, and statistical data on conflict casualties and economic losses. Despite Pakistan’s substantial sacrifices — over 80,000 casualties and approximately $150 billion in economic losses —Washington increasingly perceives it as duplicitous, while deepening strategic cooperation with India. This discursive shift reinforces Pakistan’s historical insecurity and hastens its strategic alignment with China, particularly through the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and defense collaboration. The May 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, which demonstrated Islamabad’s Chinese-assisted aerial parity, further challenged long-held U.S. assumptions about regional power balances. As enduring U.S. biases in identity framing and alliance preference have contributed to regional polarization, a more balanced, perception-sensitive U.S. policy toward Pakistan is essential to prevent further instability and to promote sustainable strategic equilibrium in South Asia

Alliance · Constructivism (international relations · Economic power · Framing (construction · Identity (music · Perception · Power (physics · Strategic thinking · Belt and Road Initiative · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Studies and Conflicts