Existing tensions between India and Pakistan are being stoked by the U.S. and China, with all parties seeking the elimination of perceived threats for rapid economic growth and security.

The assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani caused an already tense U.S.-Iran relationship to move further into disarray. Not spared from the chaos was China, whose diplomatic and economic agenda in South Asia is now in jeopardy.

America needs to fix its Pakistan policy, which permits the Pakistani military to nurture more transnational terrorists. The policy also plays into China’s hands by helping Beijing to cement the Sino-Pakistan nexus. Pakistan is an asset for China to keep India boxed in, but a burden for America’s geostrategic interests.