Pakistan made gains on the diplomatic front as well as maintained a stable economy
Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, placed Pakistan as the 15th most powerful country in Asia in the light of diplomatic gains by Pakistan in recent times. The institute ranks Asian countries by their power in the continent every year. Pakistan’s rank remained the same as the previous year, although there was a marked improvement in the diplomatic front. The ranking lies in the middle tier in terms of overall power and influence in Asia.
The think tank said that the country improved its economic stability as well as diplomatic influence. However, the defense network measure slipped by two rankings from the previous year.
“In 2020, Pakistan saw its greatest improvement in economic capability, resilience and diplomatic influence, where it moved up one place. However, it has also slipped by two places in the defense networks measure relative to 2019,” the report read.
Pakistan did not exert the expected level of influence in the region as per the report, leading to a negative power gap. However, the negative power gap was lesser in 2020 compared to the previous year.
“Pakistan exerts less influence in the region than expected given its available resources, as indicated by the country’s negative power gap score. While Pakistan is a net underachiever in Asia, its negative power gap improved in 2020,” the report added.
United States, China, Japan, India, and Russia grabbed the top five slots in the ranking for 2020. A total of 26 countries are assessed under this ranking.