Anti-Americanism in Pakistan: An Analysis of Pakistani Elite Opinions Regarding the United States and Drone Strikes in 2010
Abstract
In 2010, 122 drone strikes occurred in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of
Pakistan, resulting in 849 civilian and militant casualties. Although the Pakistani
government did little to protest against the use of drones, Pakistani elite opinion
was complex in its response to both America and drone strikes. This paper argues that
drone strikes made Pakistan’s elite more critical of America and drones during this
period, and that civilian casualties most strongly influenced these opinions. This
paper analyzes the rhetoric used in hundreds of English and Urdu Pakistani newspaper
articles in order to understand the sentiments of Pakistan’s elite societal members
toward America and the drone program. This paper finds that due to several influential
factors, particularly civilian casualties, both drone strikes in Pakistan as well
as sentiments toward America were discussed in negative, positive, and neutral terms,
resulting in a highly multifaceted understanding of Pakistani elite opinion.
Type
Honors thesisDepartment
Public Policy StudiesPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9366Citation
Sawh, Anjali (2015). Anti-Americanism in Pakistan: An Analysis of Pakistani Elite Opinions Regarding the
United States and Drone Strikes in 2010. Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9366.Collections
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