Staff Reporter
Character of conflict and nature of warfare is changing with traditional models of crisis management eroding.
While Pakistan is mindful of the strategic landscape and the threats it faces, the country’s nuclear thresholds will need to be recalibrated and redefined to include how disruptive technologies may impact its conventional as well as nuclear responses.
Multilateralism is retreating and needs to be revived to tackle multiple shared global challenges from COVID-19 to the changing nature of technological advancements in the security field. Pakistan can play a constructive role and act as a bridge between the US and China.
These were some of the key takeaways and recommendations by speakers from Pakistan and the United States (US) during a webinar ‘Emerging Global Strategic Environment and Technological Advancements: Implications for South Asia’s Security Dynamics’ organized by the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), in collaboration with the Naval Post-graduate School (NPS) in California.
In his opening remarks, President of CASS Air Chief Marshal (R) Kaleem Saadat outlined how American policies under the Trump administration have changed from counterterrorism to open political, economic, and military Cold War competition between the US and China. Whereas, China on the other hand, points out that the US has abdicated its global leadership role by pursuing its ‘America First’ policy. Countries like Pakistan are caught in the middle because they have bilateral ties with both. He stressed that the Indo-Sino stand-off is a critical event for which New Delhi is raising the bogey of a two-front war with China and Pakistan.
On the Pak-US relationship, he highlighted that Washington’s political and military support of India is disturbing the balance of power in South Asia; while politicisation of FATF against Pakistan is hostile and disturbing. While providing a brief overview of the seminar, Air Marshal (R) Waseem ud Din, Director CASS shared that the changing global strategic environment, interdependence, real-time connectivity and fast-paced technological advancements, have led to a spillover effect that goes far beyond the territory of any single continent. It is, therefore, vital for Pakistan to analyze how it will deal with emerging challenges such as Sino-US competition; and the role can it play to promote peace and stability in South Asia.
In the first working session on ‘Changing Global Strategic Environment: Impact on South Asia’s Security’, Brig. (R) Dr Feroz Hassan Khan, Research Professor, Department of National Security Affairs, US Naval Postgraduate School, USA advised that Pakistan cannot and should not divorce from its strategic alliance with the US. He remarked that since the six most important elements of technological evolution happening in the subcontinent are aerospace, cruise missiles, ballistic missile defenses, maneuvering warheads MARVs, tactical nuclear weapons, and sea-based deterrents, there is a likelihood of increased force readiness in South Asia. ‘The biggest problem that we are foreseeing at the present time that affects the strategic landscape is the co-mingling or the entanglement of conventional and nuclear types of delivery systems, which is going to have a different impact on the battlefield and strategic postures of countries,’ he concluded.
Ambassador (R) Aizaz Chaudhary, DG, Institute of Strategic Studies warned that the contemporary world is undergoing massive militarisation, great power rivalry, technological advancements and disregard for multilateralism. According to him, major power competition is considerably evident in the South Asian region where the US is strengthening India against China. ‘However, with diplomatic finesse, Pakistan can not only maintain a balance between these rival blocs, but actually play a constructive role in bridging their differences’, he remarked.
