THE outcry in Pakistan over the US House of Representatives’ resolution HR901 demanding a probe into the Feb 8 elections and condemning human rights violations in the country has died down. But the prospect of overreaction to any future move by the US Congress remains. For a measured response, we need to understand the American political system and its peculiarities.
Non-binding resolutions such as HR901 are almost always ignored by the administration, especially if they run counter to US interests, which at the moment are focused on steadying ties with Pakistan following the turbulent years of the Afghanistan war and the aftershocks of the cipher crisis. The supporters of the resolution should not have high hopes, and its opponents should not fear its implementation.
Why the resolution then? The US Congress does have a foreign policy role under the constitution, which it often exercises in strange ways. Americans’ historical experience has fostered feelings of superiority and a sacrosanct self-image of an indispensable, exceptional and saviour nation, especially since victory in World War II in the supposed cause of freedom. Coupled with the founding ideal of religious liberty, this has led to an American tendency to........