Trade Agreements and Trojan Horses: Economy as a Tool of Hybrid Warfare against Pakistan

Abstract

In an era where traditional and non-traditional threats intersect, foreign economic engagements, economic dependencies and misleading trade agreements have emerged as modern-day Trojan Horses - instruments for exerting influence and hybrid warfare. This paper posits that such economic tools are being strategically used to undermine Pakistan's sovereignty by exploiting its economic vulnerabilities. Pakistan's long -standing engagement with Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) has created an intricate web of dependencies over the past seven decades. This research, grounded in a deductive mixed methodology, explores how these dependencies have exposed Pakistan to external pressures, transforming economic relationships into conduits of Hybrid Warfare. It undercovers Pakistan's economic strengths and weaknesses while highlighting the role of foreign aid, loans, and remittances as mechanisms of external control. The hypothesis illustrates that trade agreements and financial dependencies serve as Trojan horses, allowing great powers to subtly exert influence over Pakistan. Theoretical assumptions are drawn from Hybrid Warfare framework, asserting that without a robust domestic economic resilience strategy, Pakistan will remain susceptible to these pressures. It offers critical policy recommendations aimed at preserving Pakistan's sovereignty by strengthening internal economic structures and contributes valuable insights into the evolving role of economy as a tool of Hybrid Warfare on the global stage.