PAKISTAN AS THE PIVOT: REASSESSING SOUTH ASIAN BALANCE OF POWER IN THE US–CHINA RIVALRY
الكلمات المفتاحية:
Pakistan، South Asia، Balance of Power، US–China Rivalry، Hedging Strategy، Strategic Autonomy، CPEC، Regional Stabilityالملخص
In this article, Pakistan's role as a strategic pivot in the balance of power between the United States and China in South Asia is re-examined. Although the current literature tends to discuss South Asia in the context of either the India-China dyad or the Indo-Pacific strategy, this study is central to Pakistan's persistent geostrategic centrality. Using a combination of theoretical frameworks of realism and regional security complex theory, the article places Pakistan at the center of all of its state alignment decisions, impacting regional stability, global connectivity, and power projection. The sustainability of this study is premised on the U.S strategic repositioning, the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the hedging policy established in Pakistan, showing that Islamabad is not an inactive by-product of the great power game, or a peripheral player. Instead, it is Pakistan that is redefining South Asian geopolitics by reshaping its role to balance its economic and security needs. This article aims to provide policy suggestions for the Pakistani government to play a mediating role in establishing stability, capitalize on connectivity, and redefine its identity in the evolving multipolar world order.
التنزيلات
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