Former Pakistan and US NSAs Dr. Moeed Yusuf and Stephen Hadley | Infertalks

Bringing you the first episode in a series of special edition Infertalks, where we sit down with Dr. Moeed Yusuf, Former National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, as we connect with thought leaders from around the globe to see how the Pakistani perspective holds up to the global lens. In this episode, we converse with Dr. Moeed Yusuf and Mr. Stephen Hadley, National Security Advisor for the Bush Administration (2005-09), as the two former officials discuss Pak-US relations, the role of the National Security Advisers in the two countries, the challenges of transitioning governments, the situation in Afghanistan as another crisis unfolds after the US pull out, the impact of an evolving global order on countries like Pakistan, and the state of great power competition between the US & China. Click the subscribe button to stay tuned as we bring you more episodes! 00:00 - 1:41 Intro/Highlights 1:41 - 3:31 Stephen Hadley: What is your recent book Hand-Off about? 3:32 - 5:51 What is the role of the NSA in the US? 5:52 - 8:40 What difference did you bring to the role of the NSA in Pakistan? 8:41 - 10:31 How did you try to democratize the process of policy making in Pakistan? 10:32 - 13:39 How was your experience of transition of power, and what aberration did it face between Trump and Biden Presidency? 13:40 - 14:50 Why Trump to Biden Presidency Transition was not Smooth? 14:51 - 19:29 How would you deal with the war in Afghanistan differently? 19:30 - 23:40 Why Pakistan and US cooperation struggled over Afghanistan? 23:41 - 28:10 Did the war in Iraq shift the focus away from the war in Afghanistan? 28:12 - 31:49 Why did Pakistan, despite accusations of being used by the US, become part of the war in Afghanistan? 31:49 - 36:06 How can do a better storytelling for building an effective relationship with the United States? 36:08 - 38:42 How true is that the US wouldn't have went to war in Iraq had there been accurate intelligence that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction? 38:44 - 41:55 Did the war in Iraq not dent the US credibility and moral authority, and hence, we see China mediating détente between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran. 41:58 - 44:29 Is the US reluctant to resolve the ongoing dispute of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan? 44:32 - 46:50 What are the policy implications for Pakistan after the détente between Iran and the KSA mediated by China? 46:51 - 51:58 What shape will the US foreign policy take in context of the ongoing competition between the US and China? 51:59 - 51:25 What value can readers extract from your latest book, Hand-Off? 51:26 - 55:06 How can Pakistan and the US move beyond transactional-relationship trap? Dr. Moeed's response. 55:07 - 57:54 Stephen Hadley's Response. 57:55 - 58:27 Dr. Moeed's Suggestion on Starting Points for US-China balance in Pakistan and South Asia. 58:28 - 58:58 Conclusion