Born insecure

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter examines Pakistan’s foreign policy from its founding in 1947 through the 1971 civil war and dismemberment, which resulted in Bangladesh’s independence. It argues that this policy rests on two enduring pillars: a rentier disposition, whereby the state leans heavily on external financial patronage to sustain its operations, and the strategic deployment of militant proxies to advance its geopolitical ambitions. Since its inception, Pakistan’s elites have justified these strategies by citing the ‘Indian threat’. By perpetuating instability along its eastern and western frontiers, these proxies bolster the military’s pre-eminent authority within the nation.</jats:p>