There are few habits in client-state politics more revealing than the urge to decorate empire’s latest strongman with the language of peace. Some time ago, Islamabad flirted with the idea that Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize. If Pakistan still insists on indulging that theatre, it should at least abandon the farce of nominating Trump and pursue the more interesting vanity project: Shehbaz Sharif should try to win it himself.

Not because the Nobel Peace Prize is some sacred moral instrument. It is a political trophy, often less a judgment on peace than a referendum on geopolitical fashion. Precisely for that reason, it should be used politically. If Sharif insists on playing this game, he should stop wasting the script on Trump and cast himself in the lead role.

The path is obvious. Sharif should use Pakistan’s current geopolitical leverage to pressure Washington into a real agreement with Iran: not another American ultimatum disguised as diplomacy, not another ceasefire designed to collapse on schedule, not another “final offer” whose essence is that Tehran must surrender politely while its adversaries yield nothing.

The path is obvious. Sharif should use Pakistan’s current geopolitical leverage to pressure Washington into a real agreement with Iran: not another American ultimatum disguised as diplomacy, not another ceasefire designed to collapse on schedule, not another “final offer” whose essence is that Tehran must surrender politely while its adversaries yield........

© Middle East Monitor