Look, the US is the US
The United States is now the world's sole superpower. Real or perceived flaws of American diplomacy and national character notwithstanding, we must recognise the pre-eminence of the US in today's world. To put this pre-eminence in perspective, let us just look at economic facts. The US has a GDP of over US$ 8000 billion. Pakistan's GDP is a mere US$ 60 billion. And the entire Islamic world has a collective GDP of US$ 1200 billion. Anyone planning to compete with the US must know where to begin. As a sovereign nation, we have the right to choose our course of action. But thischoice must be made after considering all factors.

We need not sign the CTBT just because the Americans ask us to or bend over backwards to ensure a visit to Pakistan by President Bill Clinton. The US President is in the last year of his final term any way. Pleasing or accommodating him, as a person, might not buy us much influence in Washington over the next four years. But the US will remain important beyond Bill Clinton. So will the issues which stand in the way of greater US-Pakistan cordiality.

Follow policy of gains
Instead of allowing unrealistic slogans to dictate our foreign policy, we must start making decisions on the basis of the simple calculus of gains and losses. President Clinton's visit or non-visit, as the case may be, is not an end in itself. It only symbolises the level of relations between Pakistan and the US. There is a great need to understand American concerns, define Pakistani interests, and then blend the two for a realistic equation.

Demagogues with anti-Americanideology will harm Pakistan as much as those ready to take American dictation. We cannot afford to isolate ourselves from the US nor should we give up our sovereignty in key policy areas. But we must engage in an honest dialogue with the US, based on a realistic definition of our national interest as well as attainable objectives.

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