Hardly there will be a country in the entire world that has no issue or where agitation does not prevail. A country has either to take a problem of national or international level. This tussle can either be between two neighbouring countries or such countries located far away. Skirmishes go on in neighbouring countries. Wars of ideology and narrative are seen in some countries but some activate war fronts despite being situated at long distances. Like Pakistan and India are observed in efforts to defeat one another on every front. Like Iran-Saudi tug of war is still going on. The issues by international powers in Palestine and Kashmir are still on fire.
Such agitation and war between the US and Russia have been going on for decades and is being fought by the two continuously. This tussle was coined the Cold War by the then leaders. In this cold war, numerous movies have been filmed in which stakeholders of one country present their country, military and ideology better and the rival characters worse. "Mile 22" is quite a movie worth watching in this regard. This conventional rivalry has moved a step forward freshly. America has decided to oust almost ten Russian diplomats from the country with the allegations to affect the December 2020 US Elections. The hackers are accused of data theft in a noted software developing and selling company SolarWinds. The Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Foreign Office have rejected these accusations with statements that they have not interfered with the internal state activities of the US. But in response to this blame of the US, Russian authorities have blacklisted the same number of US diplomats and banned the top US officials from entering Russia. The US FBI Director, US the domestic Policy Advisor and the US Attorney are included in this sanction.
The US President Joe Biden has announced that he is going to create a tough time for Russia for how Russia dared intrude the US state affairs and this is quite unbearable and unacceptable. Along with these sanctions announced by Biden, America is going to ponder over further sanctions to push Russia into tight circumstances. The US weapons are being moved to the Black Sea while The Russian military is marching towards Ukraine. It simply suggests that both the countries, on the surface of world politics and strategic affairs, are staring into each other’s eyes to respond to any further escalation.
Russia put a step forward and started crack-down of the US NGOs working in Russian Federation. We are sensing aggression from the Russian side this time. A question regarding this US-Russia tensions arises from what America has been doing since the US-Presidential Elections held in December 2020. Was America in slumber from December 2020 till now or the US Agencies were planning a stage for their typical rival? The answer to this question can be any because this tug of war is decades old and there is nothing new about it.
However, Russia has offered a big proposal to Pakistan. It is like Pakistan will get what it demands. Pakistan will find Russia ready at any time. Russia will pay close attention to what Pakistan has to say. And the American reaction to these befriending countries is natural. America is right in questioning these ties. The American think tanks will determine that Russia gets ready to play its innings in this game on the announcement of our withdrawal from Afghanistan. Russian friendship is going towards Pakistan whose aid and cooperation America is going to leave Afghanistan. We Americans will not let it happen. We will tighten Russia which is day-dreaming to enter the Afghan region. But the fact is Pakistan has been holding exercises with the Russian Special Forces since last year and desire to strengthen bilateral relationships.
This will happen when the US is heating up a new war front against China with the cooperation of her new allies, India, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Whenever America wills to make allies with influential foreign policy, she veils the problems of her allies. It turns eyes from the very allies when the US interests are fulfilled. Pakistan was ranked number one alliance of America on War on Terror but as soon Usama Bin Laden, the top wanted person of the world, was killed in an operation, it began to step back from Pakistan. And today, Pakistan is at its own in efforts to get out of the FATF Grey List. The American pieces of advice for Pakistan are that it should stop terror financing and end backing the terrorist organizations. Pakistan’s role in Afghan-Soviet War was neglected when the US was loyal and friendly just like Russia today.
Actually, Russia longs for advantages of China’s One Belt One Road Initiative. Why should it not save trade expenses just like China using CPEC. For that Russia is bound to stand with Pakistan. So Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit is easily understood.
We should make a new beginning by ending past incidents. Pakistan needs to pose positivity in response to the friendship of Russia. Neither Pakistan is in a position to fight another proxy war nor do circumstances allow it to welcome the same war to its own doorstep and get its own hundreds of thousand citizens killed. According to Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, we need to move forward by setting aside the past and build friendly relations with neighbours. It is never too late to improve. It is time to set us and our home, Pakistan. We need to take a review and revive our Foreign Policy.
