1. This was a great conversation btw @MichaelKugelman & @YusufMoeed hosted by @TheWilsonCenter.

The US wants a security-based relationship w/ a side effect of economic growth. Pakistan wants a growth-based relationship w/ a side effect of security. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/us-pakistan-relations-biden-era-conversation-moeed-yusuf

2. Yusuf pitches Pakistan as a "geo-economic location" rather than a "geostrategic location" & one for economic bases rather than military ones. Yusuf claims "it will be tragic if the conversation next week [w/ Biden admin] begins on Afghanistan and that’s the only conversation."

3. On intra-Afghan talks: "the goal [we were asked by the US to facilitate] was to put the Afghans who matter in the room, get the US involved, and leave the room. That was the answer. That’s exactly what Pakistan has done. So we are not in the room in that sense any more."

4. Yusuf claims that Pakistan cannot convince the Taliban to accept a ceasefire (Pakistan also made a similar claim about bringing them to the table). He adds, "there is no country that has done more to eliminate AQ in cooperation with the US than Pakistan."

5. Yusuf offers non-committal help in facilitating peace in Afghanistan but adds "we can’t be in a situation where Pakistan is seen as the potential solution for all problems and when the solution doesn’t come then Pakistan is seen as the reason for all evils."

6. Yusuf is more interested in business & promoting Pakistan as an interlocutor in another dispute: US and CHINA. "Frankly I think Pakistan is one of the very few countries that can play a helping role for the US and China on areas they do converge and want to work together."

7. Yusuf claims climate change, global norms, & multilateralism is a shared agenda & Pakistan can help facilitate U.S.-China cooperation. He ask why there can't be US-China-Pakistan co-investment? He uses the example of CPEC energy plants using German tech.

8. On CPEC as a threat to the US: "This conversation about CPEC is not always positive in Washington. How about an American reprocessing zone? How about American companies coming, investing money, reprocessing for export, and sending wherever they want?"

9. Yusuf lists a reprocessing zone (I think he means export processing zone or FTZ), IT, agriculture, and climate change as areas for cooperation. Claims Western companies are making profits in Pakistan that are a factor of 2, 3, 4, 5 times their global average.

10. He spends a lot of time claiming Pakistan is not in the US or China camp. But also asks, "what does the US gain by losing Pakistan to another camp?"

Overall the message to the US is clear: Pakistan can still help on security but that cannot be the main show.