Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Today’s question: How much should we pay China to take Pakistan off our hands?

I think I understand why China is reaching out to Pakistan. Still, friends like those...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
Pakistani labourers arrange a welcoming billboard featuring pictures of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain (L) and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (R) in Islamabad on April 18, 2015. Pakistan needs a "huge amount of financing" for infrastructure and energy projects and China is ready to announce help when President Xi Jinping visits next week, a foreign ministry official said April 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Farooq NAEEM (Photo credit should read FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images)
Pakistani labourers arrange a welcoming billboard featuring pictures of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain (L) and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (R) in Islamabad on April 18, 2015. Pakistan needs a "huge amount of financing" for infrastructure and energy projects and China is ready to announce help when President Xi Jinping visits next week, a foreign ministry official said April 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Farooq NAEEM (Photo credit should read FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images)
Pakistani labourers arrange a welcoming billboard featuring pictures of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain (L) and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (R) in Islamabad on April 18, 2015. Pakistan needs a "huge amount of financing" for infrastructure and energy projects and China is ready to announce help when President Xi Jinping visits next week, a foreign ministry official said April 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Farooq NAEEM (Photo credit should read FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images)

 

 

Best Defense is in summer re-runs. This item originally appeared on April 22, 2015.

I think I understand why China is reaching out to Pakistan. Still, friends like those…

I wonder what exactly we got for our money over the last 14 years.

Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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