In the world of international relations, there are no true friends, only strategic interests. Your ally at one moment can turn into a hostile nation the very next second, and vice versa- the ever-changing and uncertain relationship between the United States and Pakistan is a prime example.

Since the start of the Trump doctrine, it became clear that the new United States President would not be too warm with Pakistan. The major reason was the Trump administration’s cosiness with Indian Prime Minister Modi. Modi had supported the Trump election campaign at a time when no major personality in the USA itself could have predicted a Trump win. Hence, with Trump’s friendship with Modi in the background, it seemed inevitable that Pakistan would have a muddy relationship with the US, with the past two years being a series of statements from the Trump administration cutting aid to Pakistan and belittling Pakistan’s efforts in the war against terror.

Yet, against all odds, things appear to be taking a turn for the better. While in Ohio, President Trump in statements implied that the worst between USA and Pakistan had passed, or to put it in the President’s own words, Pakistan and the US currently shared “very good relations”.

Why the change of heart? Certainly, Pakistan’s key role in brokering a potential peace between the US and Afghanistan plays a huge role in bettering of relations. Pakistan can play a make-or-break part in settling a peace deal between the US and the Taliban, with Islamabad being a hinted location for peace talks. For such a deal to occur, good relations are imperative.

Yet there are other factors which contributed to our new found friendship. In a twist of irony, it may be Modi who unintentionally brought Pakistan and the United States closer. India’s aggression after Pulwama alarmed the world to the possibility of a nuclear war in the subcontinent. Pakistan’s dignity and grace in de-escalating the situation did not go unnoticed, and might just have alerted the US of the benefit of having a more mature nation as an ally, compared to the volatile Modi.

While better relations are always good news, it would not do to celebrate so early. The President’s foreign policy has always been unpredictable- as proven with President Trump’s relations with North Korea, it can go from friendship to enemy quite fast. While Pakistan should welcome the US’s cooperative approach, it should do so with a pinch of salt.