Between Great Powers: Pakistan’s Strategic Balancing in an Era of Intensifying Global Rivalry

Abstract

This study examined Pakistan’s strategic balancing behaviour in an era of intensifying global rivalry between major powers, particularly the United States and China. The research employed a qualitative research design based on thematic analysis of 120 purposively selected documents, including peer-reviewed journal articles, policy reports, and academic publications from 2019–2026. The study identified five major themes: strategic relations with China, relations with the United States, strategic autonomy and foreign policy, economic and security considerations, and challenges of great-power rivalry. The findings indicated that strategic relations with China represented 28.3% of the total thematic distribution, followed by relations with the United States at 21.7%. Strategic autonomy and foreign policy accounted for 20.0%, economic and security considerations 17.5%, and challenges of great-power rivalry 12.5%. The results demonstrated that Pakistan pursued a multidimensional balancing strategy to manage competing pressures from major powers while maximizing economic and strategic benefits. China emerged as a dominant economic and infrastructural partner, while the United States remained essential in security and diplomatic engagement. The study further revealed that economic development and national security significantly influenced foreign policy decisions, while geopolitical pressure and strategic uncertainty constrained policy flexibility. The findings highlighted that Pakistan’s strategic balancing functioned as an adaptive mechanism for maintaining foreign policy autonomy in a multipolar international system.

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