From Rhetoric to Diplomacy: Populism and Foreign Policy under Pakistan’s Political Dynamics (2018–2022)

Abstract

From 2018 to 2022, Pakistan under Prime Minister Imran Khan displayed a foreign-policy style shaped by populist rhetoric, people-centrism, anti-elite frames, and moralized nationalism—interacting with structural constraints (civil–military relations, fiscal dependence, and regional security shocks). Drawing on speeches, UNGA addresses, leader interviews, and crisis episodes with India, the United States, Afghanistan, China, Russia, and the Gulf, this study argues that populism primarily affected the presentation and speed of foreign-policy choices—personalized signaling, confrontational messaging, and high-salience symbolism—more than the core strategic alignments. Key episodes include the post-Pulwama crisis and the Article 370 revocation response (2019), the “absolutely not” refusal to host U.S. bases (2021), hedging around the Taliban’s return in Afghanistan (2021), outreach to Russia during the 2022 Ukraine invasion, CPEC slowdowns and re-framing, and sensitivity to Saudi preferences . The paper proposes testable indicators—leader-centric diplomacy, volatility and reversals, anti-external-elite narratives—and evaluates them against institutional veto players and material constraints. Findings suggest that populist leadership reshaped diplomatic tone and audience targeting, but did not overturn Pakistan’s enduring security paradigm. The conclusion reflects on how populist foreign-policy styles can heighten reputational uncertainty without resolving underlying strategic dilemmas.

Keywords: Populism, Foreign Policy, Political Rhetoric, Pakistan