The vibes coming out of the Corps Commanders conference that agreed to pursue strategic ties with Russia are positive. There is a lot that can be explored in the strategic field apart from various other areas of mutual interest that would hopefully be discussed during General Kayani’s planned visit to Moscow.Russian help in setting up the Pakistan Steel Mills is an instance that offers a vast scope of bilateral cooperation lying ahead. Among others, there is common concern for regional peace within the framework of mutual respect on the basis of equality. A durable partnership can enable the two countries to move together towards achieving peace that in the context of the Afghan conundrum has assumed greater urgency. We should get out of the Western alliance that has not paid anything except for jeopardising our existence. Considering the dynamics of global politics, it stands to reason that we should befriend as many countries as we can since that is how a state derives clout in crucial matters of world affairs. That Pakistan did not hedge its bets in the years after independence when it was formulating the trajectory of its foreign policy has consequently left the country in the middle of nowhere as though wandering about in a wilderness. A long term reliance on any one centre of power accounts for our present dilemma.