RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) ? Officials in the U.S. and Pakistan say they’re beginning 2012 with lower expectations for a troubled relationship.
After several diplomatic crises over the past year, the countries are stepping back from the assumption that common goals and shared interests can trump mutual suspicion.
For Pakistan that means less cooperation with Washington, and a willingness to swear off some American financial aid. That assistance often made Pakistan feel too dependent on the U.S., and too pushed-around.
For the United States it means lower expectations in several areas, including the crucial question of Pakistani help in ending the war in next-door Afghanistan.
Overall it could be the biggest change in a decade in a relationship that has been a mainstay of U.S. military and counterterrorism policy since the Sept. 11 attacks.