On July 22, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump will host Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House to discuss cooperation between the two countries. The meeting -- which marks a diplomatic victory for Khan -- seemed unthinkable at the beginning of 2018, when Trump’s hard-hitting words for Islamabad included accusing the South Asian country of “lies & deceit."
The hot-and-cold relationship between the United States and Pakistan seems to be warming once again. On July 22, U.S. President Donald Trump will host Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House to discuss cooperation between their countries. Just last year, the meeting would have seemed unthinkable. Trump lambasted Pakistan in a harshly-worded New Year's tweet — accusing the South Asian country of "deceit" and being a "safe haven" for terrorists. But since then, Pakistan has used its influence over the Taliban to push the movement into peace talks aimed at ending decades of bloodshed in Afghanistan. Islamabad and Washington have always viewed the war through different perspectives, putting them at odds over the years. But throughout all the ups and down, the glue that has held their alliance together has been Pakistan's strategic importance to the Afghan conflict.
