Military and the Foreign Policy of Pakistan

Foreign policies are designed to help protect a country’s national interest—its national security, ideological goals and economic prosperity. Owing to the anarchic nature of the international political system, states feel a high degree of insecurity: lacking systemic guarantees of state security, war remains a legitimate instrument of foreign policy. Self-protection is the sole protection in an essentially anarchical system. While the primary objective of this article is to examine Pakistan’s foreign policy, it also evaluates two approaches to international relations, idealism and realism. Lastly, the article analyses the security perception of Pakistan and the role of the military in foreign policy making. The theoretical foundation of this study is realism, because Pakistan foreign policy is a classic example of political realism.