Relationship dossier
Pakistan
United States
Relationship assessment
A long-running, transactional partnership marked by security cooperation and recurring mistrust
Pakistan toward United States
+5Pakistan supported US-led operations in Afghanistan after 2001, including by providing logistical access and counterterrorism cooperation. Disagreements over Afghanistan and Pakistan's approach to militant groups have repeatedly complicated that cooperation.
United States toward Pakistan
+5The United States provided Pakistan with substantial aid and security cooperation and designated it a major non-NATO ally in 2004. Relations were strained by the 2011 Abbottabad raid, conducted without Pakistan's prior consent, and the 2018 suspension of much US security assistance.
Overall relationship
0The relationship has combined sustained security and aid cooperation with recurring disputes over Afghanistan, militant groups, sovereignty, and the terms of US assistance. Neither the partnership nor the tensions have consistently displaced the other, producing an enduringly mixed bilateral structure.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Pakistan and the United States have maintained substantial but uneven security and economic ties. Pakistan provided logistical and counterterrorism cooperation after 2001, while disagreements over Afghanistan and militant groups repeatedly strained relations. The United States provided aid and security cooperation and designated Pakistan a major non-NATO ally, but also suspended security assistance and conducted the 2011 Abbottabad raid without Pakistan's prior consent.
Areas of tension
- Disagreements over Pakistan's approach to militant groups and their activity in Afghanistan
- The 2011 US raid in Abbottabad without Pakistan's prior consent
- US suspension of security assistance in 2018
Key developments
The United States designated Pakistan a major non-NATO ally.
US forces conducted the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden without Pakistan's prior consent.
The United States suspended much security assistance to Pakistan.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent security and economic cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of continuing policy divergence over militant groups and Afghanistan is uncertain.