US PRIMACY, REALISM AND SOVEREIGNTY: WHAT SPACE DOES PAKISTAN HAVE?
Farzana Shakoor 

ABSTRACT
This article studies the ways in which Pakistan has responded to the US led NATO attack on the Salala check post on 26 November 2011 in which 24 Pakistan military personnel were killed. It raises some relevant questions while discussing the foreign policy options the country had. These questions are placed in a theoretical frame work in order to have a better understanding of the choices that Pakistan made. The article has been divided into three parts. The first part examines the nature of Pakistan –US strategic partnership which evolved in the post 9/11 scenario. The second part discusses the theoretical framework through which the pressures that Pakistan confronted while determining its responses have been understood. The third part is based on Pakistan’s responses to the Salala incident in terms of reconciliation instead of confrontation, constrained balancing, the limitations of constrained balancing in the form of drone attacks, economic  pressure, possible isolation of Pakistan in diplomatic terms and the link between country’s sovereignty  and  the deal relating to resumption of NATO supply routes. 
Key words: US Primacy, Realism, Sovereignty, Geo-political space and Partnership.