Strategic realignment in South Asia: US perceptions of Pakistan's China alignment

The US historically viewed Pakistan as a critical ally in its global war on terror, but this stance has changed dramatically in the last few years as the US’s conception of Pakistan transitioned from a strategic partner to a transactional ally and leaning more towards China. This shift is analyzed using constructivist theory based on a multiplicity of US government documents, media discourse, and policies outlined between 2001 and 2025. The analysis shows that US policy characterized by anti-India rhetorical tropes, institutional exclusion, and systemic marginalization subsequently aligned Pakistan more closely to China, most notably under the auspices of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The investigation then contextualizes this shift in a broader hegemonic battle between the US and China, and Pakistan's geostrategic location as the pivot of that struggle. In the end the analysis argues that US policy must adopt a more symmetric regional approach that avoids binary alliances, including antagonistic ties, that lead to strategic misalignments as what is found through this case study.