| In January1969, when Nixon took office as the46th President of the United States, Pakistan President Ayub Khan’s regime was crumbling. Pakistan’s massive overthrow of Ayub Khan Movement eventually made Ayub Khan stepped down in March1969. Instead of Ayub, Yahya Khan came to power, who announced to stop the implementation of all the laws, and imposed marital control. At this time, how did the Nixon administration regard this political change of Pakistan? Face of the independence voice of East Pakistan and the escalating conflict between Pakistan and India, what attitude and policy did the Nixon administration take? For these problems, at present, the domestic and foreign academic circles mainly focus on two issues:the South Asia crisis in1971during Nixon era and the secret diplomacy between United States and China under the springboard of Pakistan. But the systemic studies on the U.S. government foreign policy towards Pakistan during Nixon era are relatively rare. The author is trying to explore the U.S. government foreign policy towards Pakistan between1969and1972by researching and organizing the diplomatic documents to Pakistan, polished files of the president and historical data during the Nixon administration, and combining the relatively works published by western academic circle in recent year and memoirs of those involved. This paper mainly consists of five parts:The first part is the investigation of foreign policy towards Pakistan made by successive administrations of United States postwar. At the beginning, the author simply analyzes the interests of the United State in Pakistan during the cold war, and then summarizes the foreign policy towards Pakistan by successive administrations of United States postwar. During the Truman administration, the policy was defined as "friendly, non-alliance." After Eisenhower came into power, through a series of agreements, Pakistan became an important ally of United States in Asia. After Kennedy took office, America’s South Asia policy changed from the single reliance on US-Pakistan military alliance into simultaneously aiding India and Pakistan, which made the United States and Pakistan alliance separated. During the Johnson administration, along with the United States bogged down in the quagmire of the Vietnam War, their interest in South Asian subcontinent had faded and US-Pakistan relations cooled. After the outbreak of the second India-Pakistan war in1965, the Johnson administration had taken the position of non-intervention.The second part studies the foreign policy of United States towards Pakistan at the early days of the Nixon administration. At the beginning of the Nixon administration, Untied States took a "well-intentioned" neglect policy, which mainly displayed on two aspects, first was the wait-and-see attitude towards Pakistan domestic political change in1969, which actually was the default attitude to that Yahya Khan came to power holders. Second was the basic continuation of the Johnson Administration’s policy on Pakistan economic aid and military assistance. There are two reasons why the Nixon administration took a "well-intentioned" neglect policy:the first one is because Nixon himself held a good impression to Pakistan; the second one is because South Asia area is not the focus of United States at the early days of Nixon administration, together with the immature of Nixon diplomatic team, at the same time, they had to deal with other more important sudden diplomatic incidents. Therefore, the Nixon government had to take a "well-intentioned" neglect policy, which was only temporary.The third part studies how the Nixon administration "helps" and "draws" Pakistan. With the introduction of the new policy of the Nixon administration in Asia, the White House put the ease of US-China relations on the diplomatic agenda. The Nixon administration took note of the special relationship between Pakistan and China, and would like to open the road leading to China, so Nixon began to "help" and "draw" the Pakistan government. In this context, the Nixon administration had to consider adjusting its foreign policy to Pakistan. Although met with opposition from the State Department, Nixon still insisted on increasing economic aid to Pakistan. At the same time, they put the military aid to Pakistan on the agenda again which was interrupted in1965, and ultimately introduced "an exception" arms sales policy to Pakistan. Meanwhile, in order to show the support to the Yahya Khan government, the Nixon administration insisted on standing on the side of Yahya Khan in the constitutional crisis in Pakistan at the end of1970.The fourth part focuses on the Nixon administration’s "partiality" policy to Pakistan during the South Asian crisis in1971. In March1971, the East Pakistan crisis broke out. At the beginning of the crisis, the White House announced to maintain non-intervention with a "detached" attitude. But in fact the United States’"detached" attitude was the covert support to West Pakistan, because the East Pakistan people’s alliance could not resist military crackdown of the West Pakistan army. At the same time, the United States government also actively participated in solving East Pakistan refugee problem, thereby strengthening the economic assistance to Pakistan. Although under various pressures, the White House decided to postpone "the exception" arms sales policy, through the military aid to Pakistan, the White House expected to achieve the political solution of East Pakistan by the support to Yahya Khan. With the refugee problem getting worse, coupled with secret diplomacy between China and the United States surfaced, the Soviet Union and India made alliance, and the problem of South Asia became more complicated. In order to prevent the outbreak of war between India and Pakistan, the White House finally had to stop military aid to Pakistan. But in November1971, the third India-Pakistan war broke out. In order to maintain the India-Pakistan balance of power and avoid Pakistan being dismembered by India, Nixon decided to "partiality" to Pakistan. In order to achieve the goal of "partiality" to Pakistan, the United States adopted a variety of approaches, but ultimately could not avoid the failure of Pakistan in the war. At last part discusses the new development of US-Pakistan relationship after the South Asia crisis in1971.The fifth part analyzes the factors which impacted the foreign policy of United States toward Pakistan during the Nixon administration. Among many other factors, the Nixon administration’s new Asia policy is the most important and direct one. After Nixon announced the Nixon Doctrine, he began to change the foreign policy to Pakistan. Since then no matter American supported or restricted Pakistan were in order to better maintain the balance of power in South Asia. Because of the special relationship between Pakistan and China, and the South Asia special geopolitical, China, Soviet Union and India played a vital role when United States made the foreign policy to Pakistan. In addition, the analysis and judgment of the situation in South Asia made by President Nixon and Henry Kissinger, and the unique diplomatic operating mechanism of this session of government also made significant impacts on the Nixon administration’s foreign policy to Pakistan. |
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