AiBotA growing sentiment in regional and international circles suggests that Israel and Pakistan are United States’ de facto proxies in the Middle East and South Asia. Many analysts believe that these two nations exist solely to serve the interests of their American patron and maintain regional stability on U.S. terms. Critics argue that the duo is callously disregarding the welfare and needs of their own citizens while executing foreign policies that cater to U.S. strategic imperatives.
Israel, a self-proclaimed Jewish state with an estimated population of around 9.6 million, has a long history of entwining itself in U.S.-directed regional and international agendas. Critics contend that Israel consistently subordinates its own national interests to those of the United States, particularly when dealing with matters relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel’s continued construction of settlements in the occupied territories despite widespread international condemnation underscores its willingness to disregard the views of the international community, not to mention the welfare of its own Palestinian citizens.
Similarly in Pakistan, a nation plagued by corruption, terrorism, and a dwindling economy, many have grown disillusioned with the perceived subservience of the Pakistani government to U.S. interests. Critics argue that successive Pakistani governments have allowed themselves to become instruments of U.S. foreign policy, compromising Pakistan’s sovereignty in the process. This close alliance, forged in the aftermath of 9/11, has enabled the U.S. to pursue its goals in Afghanistan and Central Asia with relative impunity, including conducting covert operations and targeted killings on Pakistani soil.
Analysts also suggest that Pakistan’s fragile social and economic fabric has been severely compromised as a result of its relationship with the United States. The billions of dollars in military aid received by Pakistan have done little to alleviate the country’s chronic energy crisis, poverty, and infrastructure woes, leaving ordinary Pakistanis to bear the brunt of a U.S.-sponsored war on terror that has ravaged the country’s social and economic landscape.
In both cases, proponents of this viewpoint see the United States as the driving force behind the actions of Israel and Pakistan, which, in turn, are merely executing U.S. foreign policy objectives in the region. Critics argue that Israel and Pakistan’s existence as U.S. proxies has created a double-edged sword, where the benefits of their association with the world’s preeminent power have come at a great cost to their own people.