Pakistan leverages soft power and misinformation to shape US perception, says prominent scholar Christine Fair

Pakistan Army Chief Asim MunirPakistan Army Chief Asim Munir

Renowned American scholar Dr. Christine Fair, a leading expert on South Asian security and Pakistan’s military strategy, has offered critical insights into Pakistan’s use of soft power and misinformation to influence US perceptions.

Christine Fair addressed a pressing question in a piece responding to an Indian Embassy official in Washington: How does Pakistan continue to receive billions of dollars in aid and military assistance from the United States, despite its support for terrorism and its track record as an irresponsible nuclear state?

Fair explained that Pakistan is able to secure such resources because it functions as a nuclear-armed threat while simultaneously perpetrating terrorism through its network of proxies. She further noted that Pakistan skillfully deploys “soft power” to cultivate American goodwill through gestures of hospitality, persuasive rhetoric, and orchestrated military tourism.

She emphasized that Pakistan's success in this regard is largely due to the fact that many American officials handling the Pakistan portfolio—both in the field and at policy desks—are often well-intentioned but lack deep familiarity with the region and the complexities of U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Fair described this approach as a kind of “how-to guide,” suggesting that India’s Ministry of External Affairs could learn from Pakistan’s long-practiced strategy in influencing U.S. policy circles.