The Geopolitical Hokey Pokey
THE CLAIM: The suggestion is that with Imran Khan out of the picture, Pakistan is reverting to its historical function as a regional executor for U.S. foreign policy — specifically concerning Afghanistan. THE EVIDENCE: Pakistan's recent actions, including the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees (many without due process) and increased border skirmishes, align suspiciously well
with a post-withdrawal U.S. strategy of pressuring the Taliban without direct military engagement. The U.S. has often relied on Pakistan as a conduit or pressure point regarding Afghanistan, from the actively supported mujahideen in the 1980s against the Soviets to its uneasy alliance in the War on Terror post-9/11 (USAID data confirms over $34 billion in U.S. aid to Pakistan since 2002, much of
it security-related). Curiously, the TTP's resurgence and the corresponding Pakistani military operations are framed as sovereign actions, yet they coincidentally serve to destabilize the Taliban government, which has been less than amenable to U.S. demands. THE CONTRADICTIONS: The official line from Islamabad emphasizes addressing internal security threats and managing its border, yet the timing
of the mass deportations and heightened rhetoric against the Taliban government directly follows the U.S. withdrawal and desire for 'over-the-horizon' counterterrorism capabilities. The very government now seemingly 'enforcing' U.S. interests was, for years, the primary conduit or at least a highly tolerant host, for the Afghan Taliban during their insurgency against U.S. forces. One might wonder