Key Points

Rubin criticised Trump for lacking a full sense of history and prioritising his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize over national security interests.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Rubin argued that Trump's diplomacy is flawed, often relying on moral equivalence and failing to clearly identify right from wrong in international conflicts.

"The problem with Donald Trump is that he doesn't have a full sense of history. He's prone to more equivalence; he will put other countries' national security below his own desire to win a Nobel Peace Prize," said Rubin.

This approach, Rubin warned, could escalate tensions between countries like Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran.

"If Donald Trump doesn't understand that he needs to shred the moral equivalence and call out who is right and who is wrong, the conflicts in the region, be it between Pakistan and India, and between Israel and Iran, are going to become much worse before they are going to become better," said Rubin.

His comments comes in the backdrop of Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir visit to White House.

"Before Asim Munir went inside the White House, Donald Trump had said that Pakistan is America's friend," said ex-Pentagon official.

Rubin noted that Trump is enamored with generals, which may influence his interactions with Asim Munir, who holds more power than Pakistan's prime minister.

"President Trump is enamoured with Generals. We've known that since his first term. Second, it's a reality that Asim Munir has more power than the Prime Minister of Pakistan... Donald Trump is simply reflecting the reality without the diplomatic polish," Rubin said, adding, "The issue becomes, did Donald Trump tell Asim Munir that his actions risk a covert response that the Pakistanis will not be able to abide by and not like? Is Donald Trump threatening Pakistan in private, to allow it to save face in public?"

Rubin also stated that Pakistan is hardly an independent country anymore, acting as a Chinese proxy, and that China's chief interest is ensuring the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. He also advised Pakistan to cease its terrorist sponsorship, stating that it will ultimately pay the price for its actions.

"My advice to Pakistan is to cease its terrorist sponsorship. It can try to take advantage of any world leader, but ultimately, it is going to pay the price. Indeed, we see with Pakistan's own internal discord that it has paid a great price," said Rubin.

Rubin stressed that India alone is responsible for its national security and should base its decisions on reality, not promises from temporary leaders.

"India alone is responsible for its national security. It needs to base its national security on reality, not the promises of temporary leaders and insincere partners. Donald Trump may want to pretend that he is the fulcrum of negotiations but ultimately the only person who should decide whats good for India, are those within India's government and Prime Minister Modi himself. India needs to realise that Donald Trump alone is not incharge of US policy. The US Congress is, and it, in a bipartisan manner, embraces India. We are far less willing to let Pakistan's malign and terrorist sponsor behaviour slide than perhaps the White House," Rubin told ANI.

Rubin suggested India should sometimes ignore advice from Washington, prioritising its own national security interests, similar to how Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has done in the past.

"Sometimes it is important for India to simply ignore the advice or the commands they are getting from Washington, much in the same way that Benjamin Netanyahu ignored the desire of President Trump and put Israel's national security first and foremost...," said Rubin.

Rubin highlighted the bipartisan support for India in the US Congress, which is less willing to tolerate Pakistan's malign behavior

"There is little mood in Washington for Pakistan's nonsense. If Pakistan thinks that it can fool the United States, ultimately, Asim Munir is going to end up like his Iranian military counterpart...," added Rubin.

Highlighting China's strategic interests in the region, Rubin remarked, "China's chief interest is that much of the oil, nearly 44%, which comes out of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, goes out to China and Asia. If a conflict continues to disrupt supplies, China is the big loser there, and not the US or Iran... Pakistan is a Chinese proxy, and it would not surprise if some messages were being passed not only from Trump to Asim Munir but if Asim Munir was delivering certain messages to Trump from China at the same time... Pakistan is hardly an independent country anymore." Rubin's remarks reflect growing unease in Washington over Pakistan's regional actions and its deepening ties with China, while also highlighting calls for India to prioritise its own strategic interests amid shifting global dynamics.

- ANI