In pursuit of significance a foreign policy analysis of Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is a young country with a significant foreign policy record. Within a short timeframe, it went from being a front-line state to an insignificant actor, and back to a front-line state again with significance on the world stage. This thesis seeks to enhance the understanding of the South Asian country’s foreign policy and aims to answer the research question “what are the drivers of change in Pakistani foreign policy?”. The thesis is a within-case study where the periods 1989-1998 and 1999-2009 are compared and discussed. The dataset used to answer the research question is comprised of the speeches given by Pakistani representatives in the United Nations’ General Assembly debate, which are held yearly in New York. These are analyzed with a theoretical framework grounded between Realism and Constructivism, with focus on analytical concepts such as national role conceptions, and with the State as the main unit of analysis. The research shows that the drivers of change in Pakistan’s foreign policy is its national role conceptions. These roles are again influenced by the global political context, Pakistan’s existential conflict with India, and Pakistan’s Muslim identity.