Pakistan’s security outlook in the global power shift - part 1

As a middle income, developing country, and despite being overwhelmed by internal conflicts, political instability and a lack of governance, Pakistan has remained an active international actor in global politics. For its critics however, it is this prominent international role – especially during the long Cold War and the more recent War on Terror (WoT) – that may have undermined Pakistan’s domestic stability, thereby upsetting its economic growth and the civil military balance in the country. For protagonists of the active foreign policy, on the other hand, Pakistan’s international outlook and shrewd foreign policy is what allowed the country to foster alliance blocs with regional (China) and global (US) powers to survive in what it perceived as a hostile neighbourhood, with India to its East and Afghanistan its West, both countries with which Pakistan has border disputes.&nbsp