In this picture taken on March 27, 2012, supporters of Pakistani religious parties rally against government allowing NATO to resume shipping supplies through the country to its troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, near the Parliament in Islamabad, Pakistan. American hopes that Islamabad will reopen its supply lines to the Afghan War are snarled in Pakistani domestic politics, with lawmakers unwilling to publicly support a decision that risks them branded as friends of Washington. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)
Washington hasn't done much to help ease Islamabad's decision either. Drone strikes have been curtailed but not eliminated, and the repeated use of carrots and sticks has permanently jaded the Pakistani. The U.S. needs to conduct a genuine diplomatic campaign to improve perceptions of America, which includes a faster way out of Afghanistan. However anti-Pakistani sentiment in America impedes any attempt to improve the situation. Each side may be too far gone to ever be pulled back - a volatile equation given Washington's long-term intentions in Pakistan.
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