My talk was titled 'The War Against Terror Reasons for the Persistence of Anti-Americanism in Pakistan', and, coming on the heels of the passage of the controversial aid bill, it drew a diverse audience. The crowd included political science students, academics working on South Asia, Americans who have previously travelled to Pakistan, journalists, Pakistanis from the Bay Area and even a local politician. Consequently, the discussion that followed the talk offered a useful insight into the American perspective on Pakistan's ongoing scepticism about US motives in the country's internal affairs.

Although the audience at Berkeley was highly educated, politically left-leaning, and, for the most part, blessed with historical perspective, many were puzzled by the fact that anti-Americanism is rampant among the Pakistani public.

Much like Anne Patterson - the US ambassador to Pakistan who last year expressed surprise at the extent of hostility for the US government - audience members pointed out that the US and Pakistan's long-term interests, particularly in the war against terror, were neatly aligned. Some also suggested that those who oppose America's involvement in Pakistan's affairs have an incomplete understanding of how US aid impacts the lives of ordinary Pakistanis.

Participants in the discussion were quick to pick up on some of the more contradictory aspects of US-Pak relations that the talk highlighted. For example, we discussed the recent heightening of concerns about America's colonial aspirations in the region the rumours (since dismissed by the Obama administration) about the increased presence of US Marines and intelligence officials on the ground; the alleged deployment of Xe (previously Blackwater) operatives across Pakistan; fears of the stationing of US troops on Pakistani soil to counter the threat supposedly posed by the Quetta Shura; and, with regard to the Kerry-Lugar bill, the desire to micromanage Pakistan's affairs.

The audience connected the paranoia about America's perceived expansionist agenda with parallel fears about an abrupt US withdrawal from the region. The fact is, ongoing policy discussions in Washington about whether or not to increase troop presence in Afghanistan signal that a premature departure of US troops is still a possibility.

Talking to different media outlets, elements within the Pakistani establishment have indicated that this fear of America's imminent departure from Afghanistan has circumvented a wholehearted anti-Taliban effort (would you launch initiatives to squash the militants if you believed that they may be back in the saddle in the event of an American withdrawal?)

While acknowledging that Pakistan's fear of abandonment by the US has historical precedent, some members of the audience had trouble reconciling the fact that the US is simultaneously criticised by Pakistanis for espousing a thinly veiled colonial agenda and threatening to walk away from the foreign policy messes it makes. As someone speaking to me after the talk put it, 'we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't.'

There was similar interest in the contradictory logic infusing the recent backlash against the Kerry-Lugar bill. In my talk, I had quoted from a June 2008 report by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs titled The Decline in America's Reputation Why? That report concluded that anti-Americanism stemmed from 'the perception that the proclaimed American values of democracy, human rights, tolerance and the rule of law have been selectively ignored by successive administrations when American security or economic considerations are in play'.

In this context, some members of the audience felt that the conditions regarding increased civilian oversight of the Pakistan military in the Enhanced Partnership Act signalled America's commitment to supporting democracy even at the risk of evoking the ire of a close military ally in the war against terror.

Americans seem confused about why this effort to help secure democratic rule in Pakistan has been widely denounced when previously their government has been accused of undermining local political processes when that has been the most convenient course of action.

Surprisingly, few were interested in drawing connections between Indo-Pak relations and anti-Americanism. In my talk, I had argued that Pakistan's concerns about America's involvement in its internal affairs are compounded by the strengthening partnership between the US and India. After all, Pakistan is still sore about America's decision to offer a civilian nuclear deal to India and facilitate a larger role for India in Afghanistan.

Some Pakistanis also believe that if the US were truly committed to eradicating militancy, it would try to resolve the Kashmir issue with the end goal of freeing up Pakistani troops currently deployed along the eastern border. There is also the suspicion that America's calls to eradicate militancy are part of an initiative to deprive Pakistan of the 'strategic assets' it has long cultivated against India. Those attending the talk, however, countered that India had little bearing on US-Pak relations, which were instead defined by the long history of military cooperation between the two countries.

Many members of the audience brought up the strange disconnect that exists between Pakistanis' opinion about American individuals and the US government - it was generally accepted that ordinary Pakistanis like Americans, but hate America. As an extension of this recognition, audience members were curious about whether the key to stemming anti-Americanism lay in boosting people-to-people interaction. As other solutions to America's image problem were brainstormed, some discussants began to wonder what role Pakistani-Americans might play in quelling anti-Americanism in the homeland. There are now over 200,000 Pakistani Americans who together enjoy growing political power. Some attendees felt this community was well situated to mediate between average Americans and Pakistanis - inculcating cultural sensitivity in the former group and allaying concerns about US motives among the latter.

Unfortunately, besides this suggestion, the group had few ideas on how to strip US-Pak relations of mutual suspicion and ever-germinating conspiracy theories.