US Rebalancing Policy: Challenges and Opportunities for Pakistan

The Asian security environment is changing continuously due to the remarkable developments happening in and around Asia-Pacific region especially in consequent to the economic rise of Chino. Thishos created troubles not only for the United States (US) but also for its allies and partners in the region. It isperceived that a strong Chino may challenge the US global hegemony; fi rst through economic rise and then by fnf/uencing the global polit ics through its military might. For the lost two decodes, the US hos been engaged militarily in Iraq and Afghanistan but Chino interestingly kept on strengthening its economic and politico/ might in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. In this context, the US ongoing Nreboloncing N policy indicates its strategic priority regarding the threats it perceives from Chino as a strategic competitor. With this backdrop the paper tries to examine the Nreboloncing n policy of the Obama administration by analysing its strategic rationale and anticipating Chino's response and highlighting its implications for the region with a special focus on the challenges and opportunities for Pakistan which is being the closest friend and neighbour of Chino on the one hand and the US non-NATO ally in War on Terror on the other.