Neutrality-cum-Balancing: Understanding Pakistan’s Foreign and Diplomatic Policy in the MENA Region

The term ‘neutrality' has dominated Pakistan's foreign policy discourse vis-à-vis the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The paper argues that Pakistan's foreign and diplomatic policy in the MENA region cannot be described as consistently neutral. Rather, various governments have adopted a great degree of strategic flexibility when responding to regional crises. Ultimately, there exists an oscillation and fusion between the policies of neutrality and balancing, as the country attempts to ensure that its bilateral ties with various allies are not affected. This paper terms this approach as ‘Neutrality-cum-Balancing'. With reference to the Yemen war and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Qatar crisis, it highlights the accuracy and validity of the strategic flexibility of such an approach.