The Educated Terrorist.

Faisal Shahzad had a business degree and was working as a budget analyst. Many of the 9/11 terrorists held professional degrees and were gainfully employed, so were the terrorists involved in the London bombing. All of them were trained, visited and had direct contacts with terrorists and/or terrorist outfits in Pakistan and Waziristan. They were all thought of as non-religious, professional men who were not interested in religion or religious duties demanded of a Muslim until they went outside the country. What was it that affected them so profoundly that made them risk their lives for their religion. These terrorist acts are different  because they are not carried out in the name of nationalism. They are said to be for this idea of a pan Islamic nation that sounds more Utopian than shangri-la. There can never truly be a pan Islamic identity, nor has there been a perfect one. Yet, each terrorist movement claims to want to establish one. Each country that professes to practice Islam does so under its own little conditions and regulations. The Muslim brotherhood of Banna, the Islam of Maududi, the Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia and the Shia Muslims of Khomeini take their inspiration from similar sources, but when it comes to applying them at a political level, each country couldn’t be more different.

The interesting equation in this whole scenario is how the ideologies spewed by Al-Qaeda and the likes affects young men and women who are seemingly cosmopolitan and literate and have benefited from the capitalistic, western culture that they suddenly turn against. Is the Pan Islamic idea draw them in more because of their non adherence to any single land or region where they can freely practice their religion? Are they more susceptible because they feel alienated in a society where religion does not define politics and where religion is a private institution and not public. It is a big difference. The fact that in every Arab nation with a Muslim majority, the politics, culture, public institutions and even daily life is dictated to a large extent by religion. Can alienation or even nostalgia about such a place make these well educated people decide to annihilate the west for the want of establishing such a place.

Why is it that insurgencies carried out against the government is usually led by the poor, illiterate and people of very low social standing, while terrorist attacks especially the ones directed at western countries are led by educated, professionals with considerable experience in their country of choice. Is an insurgent much more aware of his rights as a citizen of a country and the responsibilities of his government? IS a terrorist dissatisfied with both the worlds that he inhabits and sees only a distorted image of this perfect life that neither country could offer him. Are insurgents more dissatisfied that their immediate needs are not fulfilled while terrorists look at a more promising afterlife, convinced that this world will fall short of whatever their requirements are. It is a thin line. In places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is very often hard to distinguish between one and the other and yet a distinction can be made.  Terrorism as a global problem has to be looked at as something distinct from nationalist movements or insurgencies. However, dealing with local insurgencies by each country can make a difference. The problem that Obama and crew face is how to help to force a lame duck government to control its citizens and curb insurgent movements. The point is this, insurgencies and terrorism cannot be handled in the same way. Massive deployment of troops, air strikes, drone attacks, unreasonable aid to unreliable receivers does not and will not solve the problem. The mistake that US is making is this, it is attempting to correct a government where there is none and this applies to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Democracy here has to be built from the bottom up and there is no point in having the same conversations again and again to a government that is so obviously dysfunctional. Pakistan has not moved forward much. They still want the same things that they were looking for 65 years back. Just because there is a government there does not mean it is serving the people the way it ought to be. Obama has to move away from treating Pakistan like a spoiled brat. the more it protests, the more aid money it gets and more military power it gets.  How can anything be solved by appeasing a incompetent government and military industry that is even as the aid was coming in moving troops away from the Western provinces to the Eastern side.  There has to be someone with enough sight, let alone foresight to know this. Perhaps Shahzad will be the tipping point or perhaps not.

Uncategorized

May 6, 2010

Leave a comment

China in Afghanistan

Foreign Affairs Magazine reports on the growing relationship between China and Kabul. China’s interest in the region and how the US was enabling it to set up mining industries in the resource rich country thereby helping to lower unemployment in the region while also bringing in revenue that the government in Kabul could use was widely reported last year. With the US looking to reduce and subsequently remove all troops from the area, China’s involvement comes at a critical juncture. It is enabling the government by providing employment in its mining industries, infrastructure development and personnel training. The aid is not completely towards a humanitarian cause. The Chinese benefit immensely by keeping an eye on their western provinces, which are often troubled by skirmishes that originate from the Uighur region and central Asia. However, As the article points out inspite of the numerous threats posed by a resurgent Taliban, and central Asian Islamic militants China will not send in troops to control the region “since the Chinese government is well aware that if it were to base troops overseas unilaterally — even in a humanitarian role — alarm bells about a neo-imperial Chinese foreign policy would go off in capitals such as New Delhi and Tokyo”. There have however been reports that China has offered to train Afghan forces . China’s interest in securing the confidence of the Afghan’s is twofold. One, it wishes to protect its own borders and its strategic strength in the region . The border skirmishes with Muslim minorities, the threat of militants from central Asia are forcing the Chinese authorities to move with more decisiveness in the area. Second, cheap trade enables the Chinese to maintain a sphere of influence in the region. China already has agreements with Burma, Indonesia, Singapore to name a few. With the wooing of Nepal and Afghanistan it will be well on it way to securing its resources for the coming years. With global warming threatening food and water sources and rapid rise in population and infrastructure weighing down growth in both India and China, it will the resource war that ultimately decides who comes on top.

India, on the other hand has been criticized by the US and Pakistan for its efforts in helping rebuild Afghanistan. Amidst reports of the Chinese aiding in the development of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, there has to be some questions as to how exactly the money that the Kabul government supposedly earns from the mines is spent. How much is China’s involvement in Afghanistan welcomed by Pakistan? How will the installation of a Taliban govt in parts of Afghanistan as the US plans to do will affect China’s influence in the area, and more importantly how will India lose in the process.

India needs to pay particular attention to the rise of the Chinese sphere of influence in the region. While being distracted by the Pakistan-US-Afghanistan triangle, the Chinese have managed to walk in and secure a big chunk of energy and resources that India could have used. The rising influence of the Beijing govt around South East Asia will ultimately result in a situation where India is surrounded by the Chinese Charavyuha. India has to take a stronger position on the US plans to make a quick withdrawal, aiding Taliban to set up govt and funding Pakistan generously with money and arms without the full knowledge of where and how the money is being used. India also needs to start focusing seriously on how to extend its influence in the South and South East Asian region.India’s foreign policy is economy and security based. The reality however is that the security only extends so far as preventing a war between India-Pakistan and India-China. 21st century politics demands much more. There has to be a concrete effort in securing enough for India and its 1.3 billion population. Unchecked migration into the country, from rural to urban areas, severe lack of basic commodities and water scarcity will push India to the edge. How it will survive that situation will wholly depend on how it handles this part of its journey.

Uncategorized

May 3, 2010

Leave a comment

What one state says about the country.

31.7 million people living below poverty line, 11 farmers committed suicide everyday between 2003-2008, highest rate of infant mortality and gaping gender gaps, leads the country in dismal maternal health care, highest crime rate against women, massive power shortages with places like Vidarbha which also has the highest number of farmer suicides having almost 15 hrs of power cuts everyday, and with a massive public deficit of Rs 1,85,801 crore ..Welcome to the land of the Marathas. the state which boasts a tidy group of billionaires, the state which very generously waived taxing the IPL, which would have given the state close to 12 crores.

The IPL run by the BCCI which is registered as a charity organization and benefits enormously from the government of India, is the cherry atop a crumbling, downright ugly politics that the country has chosen to play on the public. Hide the elephant behind 11 players and no one notices it. The world’s riches franchise, (it is said to be values at $4.13 billion dollars) an organization which has enabled a private individual with dubious background to increase his income to almost 40 crores last year, which has enabled everyone from politicians, movie stars, private media companies supposed to be have an independent voice, corporations, every tom dick and harry in the who’s who list to hold a stake. Nobody even notices that this charity organization that runs this whole melee is listed as a charity organization and yet has ministers sitting on its board, is listed as one of the richest cricket club in the world, behaves like an autocratic institution doling out cricket to adoring fans like candies in a carnival.

Yet, in the midst of a 3 month party period, where every man, woman and child is tuned into a game believed to be fixed in many circles, where the who’s who of bollywood flout fire regulations to sit in the VIP seat, pay $2,750,000 for Kevin Pollard who receives $750,000 and the rest goes into the IPL hundi, the world around has been crumbling. The government is running on a huge deficit. India has been ranked high on the poverty index, infant mortality index, gender gap index, child labor index, lack of maternal care index, 2.8 million sex workers 36% of whom are children, dismal infrastructure index that has caused companies to pull out of India. People all over the country are seeing a rise in basic food prices, farmers in Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra are facing starvation and a one track road that leads to suicide because of economic and social disabilities. Maoists are running amok in central India. In our esteemed home minster’s words “The Buck has to stop somewhere” unless of course someone is waiting to shoot it down in our “Protected” sanctuaries.

Uncategorized

April 19, 2010

Leave a comment

Patchy Democracy.

The Dantewada attack that has killed more than 70 CRPF jawans is just the latest in a series of attacks by the Maoists in the red corridor. The “revolution” has so far claimed 566 odd lives of members of the armed forces, civilians and politicians. The level of violence and brutality is appalling, though far more disconcerting is the central government’s response to the violence. Counter- insurgency has never been India’s strongest point. The lack of coherent policy, a weak state force, an overbearing central command, lack of communication and a very ill equipped armed forces have made sure that any counter insurgency tactic becomes moot.

The response from the government now should be measured, unfortunately given the precedence it is more likely to be equivalent to a elephant rampaging through a banana plantation. Even more likely is that the government promising reforms and after some grand posturing and even grander words will undertake some meek action for satiating the few who still pay attention and move on. The media will shift their focus on the bigger issues at hand – The Mirza-Malik wedding, the latest in the Bachan Saga and the IPL and so on. 550 death and more, people kidnapped and massacred, countless tribals affected, states brought to a stand still, whole swathes of land made inhospitable, unworthy of being used for anything, for anyone…any self respecting democratic country would have taken more direct action. The truth is the immense chasm, the huge disconnect between the states and the center has resulted in a democratic system that allows for the discontented population to bring about this impasse and get away with it.

The state lacks the machinery, the personnel and the expertise to carry the systematic expulsion of these elements from society on its own. It depends on the central government for providing these, the central government, however is unwilling to let the state take complete control of the action either. The article in the Hindu highlights the glaring discrepancies that led to this massacre. Even more appalling is the state of the police, the armed forces and the jawans in charge of these operations. Any time a terrorist, or a rebel owns a much more specialized piece of equipment, a better weapon system, it is high time to withdraw, regroup and the analyze why the picture is so skewed. The shortcomings of the personnel were very obvious during the 26/11 tragedy in Mumbai. The government ceded that lack of training, equipment, proper communication and over reliance on bureaucratic procedures led to delay and sloppy reaction from the government…so how come 2 years later, the same excuse is still acceptable. Is it because, it is taken for granted that after a few hemming and hawing the people forget or was it because in spite of claiming to be democratic country, we as citizens don’t hold the politicians to their word. It is also interesting to note that the state ministers have said very little about this incident.
The poverty of the tribal regions has been put up as an example of how the Maoists are gaining power in central India. Surely there is some reason why the tribals are one of the most downtrodden members in Indian society. The government has not taken any effort to treat them as citizens deserving of equal treatment in the nation. Illiteracy, lack of facilities, third class treatment outside, rampant poverty, prostitution, the maladies go on. There is little option, but to join a group that claims to be able to help them. It is either that or join the police force and die.

The other half of the equation are the Maoist sympathizers like Arundhati Roy who in Walking with Comrades draws what can only be seen as a romanticized picture of the rebels and outlaws fighting against the establishment. Ms. Roy’s writing reflects the total ignorance with which some of the fighters enter the arena. Her writing then becomes a celebration of the ignorance which seems to be welcome in the Naxalite infested jungles.

In all this melee, it is easy to forget that the losers here are on one hand the jawans fighting for a government that could care less and a group of tribals who only want recognition and an equal stake in the country they help build.

Uncategorized

April 6, 2010

Leave a comment

Can this Democratic behemoth think?

Two articles, one from LiveMint and another more recently from Times Of India focus on the dismal state of think tanks in the country. To be fair, India is said to have the second largest number of think tanks in the world after the US. Like everything else, however, the number is inversely proportional to its actual effectiveness. They have been lax and unable to convince the government to formulate policies more efficiently and to keep the polis informed about the inner workings of a democracy. To be honest, for a think thank to work effectively in a country like India, there needs to be a steady input of new talent who are willing to think outside the narrow confines of Indian history, policy and politics being fed to them and examine the world and India itself from a new lens. The problem as both the articles point out lies in the hiring of talent. Most think tanks serve as the yard into which politicians who have been fazed out or is usually is the case thrown out of their parties end up. They are funded by governments and serve as nothing more than glorified toot horns for the ruling government. Policy making, advising the government on policy making is very rarely done for the simple reason that politicians do not rule on what policy they have promised. They come on the backs of often ignorant paid voter banks and rule to keep themselves in power..nothing more nothing less. Think tanks as I see here, should be able to revolutionize politics. They should come up with suggestions and solutions that help government move along. they should be in some ways prophetic in trying to predict the nature of problems to come and be ready with solutions. More importantly, they should be able to bridge the gap between the democratic process and the people wish to understand the inner working of the government.

One aspect that both articles have failed to highlight is the alarming drop in the number of people who willingly and out of interest go into the humanities and liberal arts field. The extreme focus on Science and engineering and the insistence of either of these two degrees have all but erased the humanities and arts groups in many many universities. There has to be a better effort to revive these groups and encourage more students to take up humanities and political science groups. Effort has to be made to jump start these departments in universities and create centers for political debate in at least some of the top universities. Lecturers of international repute can be attracted and curriculum improved to acceptable international standards.

India risks losing not only really good talent, but also a glorious history in politics, politics that dates back to before Rome. A society that had been known for its argumentative nature, for its political involvement and political acuity risks losing its democratic vitality if think tanks are not cultivated

Uncategorized

April 5, 2010

Leave a comment

The need to revamp India’s Foreign Policy

In India’s Great Power Plans, N. V Subramanian, traces the development and rise of India’s Foreign Policy which will see to its rise as the second largest economy after China by at least 2050. The issue with India’s foreign Policy as projected by the author is that it is largely based on Nehru’s Non Alignment and Panch Sheel Principles. The policy is no longer is sufficient to define the world around India, or the extent to which India has to go to conserve its principles and stature as a democratic country. Nehru’s policy of Non alignment and the Panch Sheel found a strong following for two reasons, one there was a lack of strong leadership that was willing to challenge him or suggest otherwise, two the importance of a strong economy was much more pressing and necessary. Nehru’s idealism helped push forward a vision for the country he wanted India to be, self sufficient, striking a balanced note in world politics and being a voice for nations younger and smaller than itself. The prime ministers that have been elected since then have had very few leaders who had that vitality or the vision that Nehru carried. Non Alignment remained a corner stone of Indian Policy till the late sixties when Indira Gandhi was elected as Prime Minister. 1971 saw India jettison the policy of Non Alignment all but in name when it signed the Treaty of Friendship with Soviet Russia in return for its assistance in the Bangladesh war. The move marked what will eventually become the peddling of a foreign policy that was based on the idealism of Nehru in name, but which behaved in ways that were unpredictable and often at the mercy of the ruling government‘s ideals and ideologies rather than a strong working knowledge of the ground situation. The Non alignment movement has become a cover and an excuse for the lack of a strong policy.

As a rising power India will be seen more and more as a competitor by countries like Russia which is seeking to expand its sphere of influence in Central Asia and from China which will continue to act as a strong competitor to resources and foreign deals. India has a strong relationship with Latin America and with parts of the Middle East. It must not lose an opportunity to cement its relationship there. More importantly however, India must take a strong stand on Human rights issues and make provisions and properly guided policies tackling the growing number of refugees who seek asylum on its shores. The biggest problems that will face South Asia because of climate change will be food, water and shelter. It will be inevitable that there will be more people pouring into the country then and there have to be a comprehensive policy that addresses those issues. India has to take a responsible stance with regard to Burma, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tibet. The human rights issues and government crises that loom in these countries should be seen as an opportunity for India to show its power as a secular, democratic country and take a strong stance in the region. India, otherwise risks going the way of United States which for over a decade now has ignored Latin American politics and has been lax in the policy issues that deal with Latin America only to have not one but many governments turn their back on America. This is especially true where the central Asian countries are concerned. They are going to be put in the spot light soon, given their vast amount of resources and their strategic position in the continent. India needs to develop a comprehensive policy that would enable it to move fast and move intelligently in the region.

Indian foreign policy needs a complete revamping, that would enable it to emerge at the forefront of the most powerful countries. It is an agreed position that a unipolar or bipolar world is no longer viable, and the world will be seeing the emergence and establishment of multi polar powers. There will be power sharing and competition, a need to accumulate as many resources and create as many allies as possible in the coming years. The government needs to get the message, and take the initiative. The ruling coalition, whichever it might be needs to make these three goals, the center of its policy initiatives. First, there needs to be a mass movement and encouragement and funding for the establishment, development and training of humanities as a viable and worthy major and career option, a focus on intellectual stimulation and awareness at all ages of the government, of civics and history – the universally accepted history. Second, there needs to be a group of people who have the knowledge, power and intellect and awareness to advise the governments. Think tanks should be promoted and should be projected as an asset to the government and policy makers should be able to consult and implement policies on their consultation. Third and most importantly, the government has to put forward a well thought out, comprehensive, intelligent foreign policy as part of its political message. The foreign policy cannot afford to be vague or directed only towards Pakistan and China. It has to be much more over arching and much more inclusive

Uncategorized

March 31, 2010

Leave a comment

The Poor Man’s Vote

The last phase of Indian elections gets under way this week, with the final results to be announced by the 16th of May. With close to 715 million registered voters going to the polls, the election has been the biggest in India so far. With a higher than 7% growth rate and an increasing presence in the global economy and amongst the power elites in Asia, the equations that make up the incoming government will be closely watched by the world. The irony of the situation, however, is that the voters voting the government into power are doing so, based on the promises of yesteryears. Every election, since Nehru rolled the great chariot of Indian democracy into the arena, has had 2 consistent factors: there has always been a Gandhi on the ballot, and the issue has always been about upliftment of the poor, food, water, education, and basic necessities. This election has been no different. The only hitch so far has been the voter turnout. Fuelled by the campaigns of Obama and the fanfare of the American election, there has been a wide spread attempt to bring out the youth and the middle class; shame them into casting their ballot. There have been advertisements, marches, online campaigns, celebrity endorsements and even door to door drives. While the nation has been rallying to vote a strong competent government into place, they to their dismay have discovered that nothing much has changed in the politics of elections and political parties and in the message that they receive from the politicians.

India’s less than stellar voter turn out, though blamed on the apathy of the middle class and upper middle class, lies primarily in the heartlands of rural India where the Congress led UPA government won its power the last election. Its half hearted attempts to bridge the urban rural divide through Special Economic Zones and Job schemes, has not been successful. Also lying heavily on the minds of the rural voters are the 20,000 odd farmer suicides since the late 1990’s. While the full blame is not upon the UPA, it has not strongly initiated any action to stop that number from rising. India’s increasing foray into the world markets without calling for a strong global response to the controlled agricultural markets, global subsidies and artificial decrease in commodities while increasing production and land prices have put the backbone of India in dire straits. When combined with the rising costs of fuel, changing weather patterns and the risk posed by food and water crisis, India’s highly hopeful electorate that has been voting a government into power tirelessly for the past 60 years seems to have finally lost hope.

The Indian electorate has often been pointed out as being truly democratic in the sense that even the truly downtrodden have come out time and time again to make their voice heard in spite of not being able to understand the horse-trading that goes on at the central government. The center for the study of developing societies (CSDS) put the percentage at 59% Rural as opposed to 54% Urban in the last election. Similar statistics for previous years show a wider margin. With people voting for promises that range from free TV sets to bags of rice that would cost them less than a dollar to hard cash, politics has often managed to dilute the reason behind the democratic show, but the strength of the rural vote has prevailed. Things have been different this time. Caste issues for the most part have been put on the backburner, bags of rice, clothes and appliances refused. The demands have become more basic, like clean water, food and a means to sustain their lives that have been conveniently whitewashed to show the gleaming high tech cities of Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. “Slumdog Millionaires” did try to depict an India that even Indians remain in denial about. That, however, represents less than a third of the population. The ones most affected are the people who live their lives by their farmland, often earning enough to either feed their family or feed the hungry lender or buy a bottle of rat poison to end all feeding. They are the people who work in textile mills and clothing factories that are fast becoming victims of economic downturns. They are the people who work as day laborers in construction sites that have fallen silent because of vary investors or Maoist other insurgency operations. They are the people who make up the statistics of Maternal Mortality deaths, Infant mortality rates, Starvation indexes, cholera epidemics and illnesses that can be avoided with a simple vaccination. With voter turnout lower this year in spite of online campaigns, attempts to woo the youth and urban middle class voters, the sense of apathy blamed on the upper and middle class has become more widespread. With parties fighting over the same mandates, the same issues and the same low brow political infighting and sledging, the best indicator of the frustration of the public can be measured by the number of shoes and slippers thrown at the esteemed nethaji’s: More than 4 at national politicians, and unknown at the local level. In a country where more than half the population cannot afford to buy slippers, flinging the ones that they can indicates a level of disgust that took a while coming. Indian politicians have always banked on the illiteracy and naivety of the rural vote to carry them into power. Caste and money have always been their trump cards, perhaps after 50 odd years, the country has finally had enough. More than 800 people in Delhi, India’s capital city choosing to use the NO VOTE provision, created to signal voters displeasure with all the names on the ballot forms. It is not voter apathy; it is politician’s apathy to listen to the people. Sustaining a democracy is much more difficult than building one. Sitting in the middle of a “Ring of Fire” it is high time that Indian politicians learn to heed to 715 million voters and talk real politics.

Uncategorized

March 31, 2010

Leave a comment

Can the Center Hold

It is tempting to think that the worst of Pakistan’s crisis might be over with the reinstatement of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The come back of the judiciary led by the now very popular Chaudhry is definitely a small triumph for the very rocky democracy that Asif Ali Zardari represents. The agitations by an increasingly disenchanted public to have Chaudary reinstated can also be seen in some small measure as a shot up the arm of democracy and the powers of influence that the common man still carries in a democracy. It has to be remembered that the initial opposition to Musharraf’s sacking of Chaudary and the other lawyers did come from the streets, from the human rights group amongst which he was very popular and from the people who had directly benefited and were in favor of his efficient handling of the law and orders which included the reversing of the privatizations of a state run steel mill that made him unpopular with the Musharraf government.

There is however a darker shadow to the restoration. Iftikhar Chaudhry’s support during the current revolution comes from Nawaz Sharif and his party the PML-N and aided by smaller right winged religious parties including the Jamaat e Islami. Nawaz Sharif defied a house arrest and marched against his former ally now opponent Asif Zardari and is definitely looking for a comeback in Pakistani Politics. There is also the interference of the army in a smaller scale but definitely stepping into the scene to prevent a collapse of order in the fragile state. The other important factor to consider here is the pressure applied by the Obama government.

The consequences of the actions that the Obama government and Iftikhar Chaudhry take will have serious consequences for Pakistan, the state of democracy in Pakistan and more importantly how Pakistan deals with the North West frontier province, the swat valley and Afghanistan as a country and how it deals with its terrorists. The judiciary that will be led by Iftikhar Chaudhry in spite of all its promises cannot be an independent judiciary. It ceased being an independent judiciary and took on the garbs of a political movement the minute Sharif and other right wing religious conservative parties came out in his support. Yes, the momentum and the general dissatisfaction of the public against Zardari and his refusal to bring back the court as promised was there, but the PML-N and other parties used that momentum and made the reinstatement of Iftikhar Chaudhry a personal campaign. The involvement of the political parties was not totally welcome by the agitators. The lawyers and the political parties did have similar grievances against the government and in more ways than one the impetuous that Nawaz Sharif gave to the agitation enabled the lawyers to claim victory. Now that the lawyers have managed to fulfill their demands from the Zardari government it remains to be seen what the PML-N and the other political parties will demand for their pound of flesh.

The very expected outcome of the reinstatement come March 21st when Chaudhry takes on power will be the dredging of the files and complaints against Musharraf and Zardari. There might be a small possibility that the three A’s – the Army, America and Asif Zardari himself made sure that such a event does not happen but it is more likely that these cases will come up for hearing again. The question then becomes how long before the Zardari government topples and how long before Sharif takes on power again. As highlighted in a New York Times article, Sharif, though controversial is much more favored by the government in America to lead Pakistan or at least to bide by what the Americans want in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the NWFP. His connections with the tribal leaders of the area, with Saudi Arabia and with America itself makes him a much comfortable president to have “open Dialogues” with than with a politically weak Zardari. The political instability of the current government especially its inability to curb violence within Pakistan, its mishandling of the politics of the tribal areas in Pakistan and its mistake of using personal politics as a reason to put Punjab province under federal administration has already caused unrest. It will take very little to overthrow the government or have it collapse. Nawaz Sharif is then all set to take over the reins. How independent Iftikhar Chaudhry will be in dealing with the Sharif government will remain an unknown for now. There is however mounting evidence that the US administration will definitely welcome the presence of what it sees as a very powerful and resourceful ally.

The interference of the American government if a change of power does take place will definitely not be welcome by the public in Pakistan. American interference in the past has hindered democracy from taking roots and moving forward in Pakistan. The US governments’ support of Musharraf and previous military dictators especially when they needed a strong base in the region and in the fight in Afghanistan has been seen as deterrence to the establishment of a proper democratic state. Any influence now will now add fuel to the fire. Pakistan does need a revolution as Nawaz Sharif called for, to reorient itself in the region, to deal with internal crises and to establish Law and order in the state, but that reorientation has to come from within the state and not be manipulated from outside. A bigger concern should be the association of Sharif with political parties from the religious right for his “Long march to Islamabad.”

The rise of the religious right groups like Jamaat E Islami will definitely be an issue in trying to bring to justice the more radical elements of Pakistani society. It will also pose a problem when it comes to negotiating and coming up with a solution in the North West Frontier Province. The deal that allowed the enforcement of Sharia Law in the SWAT valley is just one example of a more religiously conservative method adapted by the government in order to appease fringe elements within the society. Sharia Law by itself is a fairly moderate law, but the interpretation of it to suit the purposes of the people who control the region and using it as an excuse to browbeat society into becoming regressive is all too common. Both Zardari and Sharif will be held accountable if the spread of a radical Islamic message continues in the state.

Pakistan needs to regroup itself and the society as a whole need to come together to realize a democratic society. Repeated interference from the army or from external governments will only fragment society further, pushing them into two extremes. There can be no greater danger to democracy than a society that seeks modernization being pitted against one that seeks to move backwards without any middle ground that seeks a balance. The US administration has to realize that its interest in the region cannot take precedence over establishing a working, democracy in Pakistan. The Taliban and al Qaeda are threats and will remain so, but to tackle the terrorism and militancy problem, it needs to realize a fully functioning state will be much more useful than a state that risks failure due to non state actors and is under the threat of imploding.

Uncategorized

March 31, 2010

Leave a comment

The Politics of Cricket

Running full speed towards each other, on the tracks oiled by the passions of the common man, the Indian Premier League has decided to derail itself and give way to the mighty Indian election express on which a billion people’s lives are controlled. The derailment has unfortunately come with a lot of screeching, and engine noises and has become the next big Indian tamasha contributing its two rupees to the election fever in the country. Lalit Modi, the chairman of the IPL and Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president have done nothing to quench the fever and have instead placed the blame squarely on the hands of the Indian government trying to put together an election in which a billion people will go to the polling booth over a span of two months.

The IPL generated much interest in India when it was first launched a year ago. With the best players in the world playing at games fashioned after Premier league soccer and NFL, it had all the razzmatazz of bollywood complete with film stars playing sponsors and owners of teams and cheerleaders imported from Washington redskins jazzing up the crowd to some of the biggest names in cricket and business taking center stage. The tournament bought more than its fair share of money for the Board of control for cricket in India (BCCI) and by way of tourism, money for the states hosting the matches. 150 crores in Indian Rupees were gained from stadium advertising alone in 2008. With corporate sponsorship, ticket sales and revenue from the matches and coverage on television channels and radio said to have brought close to 200 crores, it will definitely be a huge monetary loss for the BCCI this year. Moving the tournament to either South Africa or England is also going to be a logistical and security nightmare given that the tournament is scheduled to start in 3 weeks. The question however is this – Are the BCCI and IPL board members being responsible in blaming the Indian government for not willing to provide security when it is much more essential for them to provide the support for an election in the worlds most populous democracy.

Shashank Manohar, has told media personnel that the attitude of the Indian government in not being able to provide security was behind the reason to move the tournament while Lalit Modi who is widely known to be in cahoots with the opposition party – BJP has also not helped the issue by blaming the government. The issue has now become a full fledged political mud slinging battle with the government having to defend its stance against the opposition especially against Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat who has called the exit of IPL a national shame much to the chagrin of the home minister who has pointed out his role in the 2002 Gujarat communal riots.

The BCCI is one of the, if not the richest cricketing board in Cricket and sits firmly at the top in a country where cricket is religion. The fanaticism, devotion and hysteria that accompany players, matches and tournaments has been widely reported and seen. Decisions made by the BCCI on players, coaches and matches have often been at the center of various controversies and sometimes even political intervention. The BCCI has however gone a step too far in trying to push the government and man handling the politics of the country for its own purpose. The money and the clout of the BCCI have always put it in a sort of bully position and by trying to browbeat the government it has gone too far. The Mumbai bombings of November and the attacks on the Sri Lankan team less than a month back are still fresh on people’s mind. The government cannot afford to take a chance and host two extremely passionate, extremely volatile, extremely sensitive dances at the same time. The IPL and BCCI have to understand that the concerns of a nation and the security of a national election do take precedence over a cricket tournament. The more responsible thing to do would have been to accept that the elections are important and to agree to either postpone the tournament or to acquiesce in a way that would not have made this such a big political fiasco. Indian elections are often determined by the price of rice, free television sets promised by politicians and more bare bones issues which affect the large majority of the population rural and urban. In such an environment, the Board and the cricketers have a chance to prove themselves to be worthy of the adulation and use their demi-god status to show their pride in the election and prove their citizenship, instead of poking the fire and fanning the flames. There is going to be immense disappointment, but I’d rather have a few million grumbling men and women moan for a year rather than a billion grumbling for five years realizing that they voted for the wrong person.

Uncategorized

March 31, 2010

Leave a comment

The One-Eyed Man

For a country that prides itself on winning independence through non violent means enabled by a man who valued the human dignity and life above else, India seems to have fallen a long way down in the past 60 odd years since independence. To boast of being the only long lasting democracy in the South Asian region is perhaps laudable but the fashioning of democracy as an institution that is independent of the people who make it possible and an institution whose primary concern becomes power itself is appalling . The lack of a strong Indian response be it regarding the Sri Lankan issue, or the Tibetan protests before the Olympics, or the Burmese protests last year or the Junta’s response to Cyclone Nargis or even its own disquieting human rights record only underline the complete disregard for the values and the principles that the nation and its democratic institutions were built upon. The silence of the government in face of the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on May 13th, even when western governments were quick to make their displeasure known is just further evidence of how low the government and its foreign policies have fallen. By not responding or showing a strong negative response to the detaining of a women who has for the last two decades fought on the principles that were made popular by the Mahatma, the Government of India has shown clearly where their interests lie.

The placement of economic interests and economic growth above all else does not come as a complete surprise. India, after all is just following in the footsteps of the west who have repeatedly turned a blind eye towards human rights issues in the Middle East, China, Latin America, Africa and in many other places if that blind eye meant an increase in their economic status, an move to the top of the developed nations list and the recognition of being on par with the first world. Globalization and global capitalism has shown to be two faced again and again. The human cost of it has been increasingly whitewashed with figures of people who have profited from it. The bigger hoax has been the UN Human Rights council which this year boasts a list of who’s who amongst the world’s worst Human rights offenders. For an institution which boasts its mission as being to strengthen, protect and promote human rights issues around the globe, the inclusion of United States, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Russia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India would be funny if it were not so depressing. The absolute lack of concern, the mind numbing indifference, and feigned ignorance of the status of the human rights situation in these countries and amongst the countries that relate to these countries is frightening. The double standards of the United States, the United kingdom and many of the Western developed countries when it comes to dealing with the nations that have poor or no standards of human rights just sets the tone for how an international organization that depends on the support and economic support of these countries will behave and how countries that aspire to become democratic and members of the free trade consortium will behave. None of the countries have a right to be appalled by Daw Suu Kyi’s detention until they show the same degree of concern for the minorities who suffer through the communist regime of China, or the degrading status of women, and minorities in the Middle East, or the status of immigrants in their own countries. Secretary’s Clinton’s show of friendship and her dismissal of human rights as an issue in her first visit to china show the priority of the Obama administration. Neither the US or the UK have any right to criticize the Burmese Junta until they can convince India and China to stop trading with Burma, supplying it with Military equipment and build roads and ties with the Junta in a never ending one-upmanship competition.

The new incoming Indian government needs to set its foreign policy priorities straight. It cannot stand up in the international stage and claim to be a voice for democracy and boast of its history of preserving human dignity until it takes concrete measures to stop the massacre along its borders. It cannot support the military junta in Burma while talking about non violence and value for human life, it cannot support the Sri Lankan government with arms and money while talking about complete rights for all minorities, it cannot maintain a cordial relationship with china while sheltering the Dalai Lama and talking about respect for all religions. Above all, it cannot claim to be a democratic, secular country with equal rights for all its people and act as a beacon for the downtrodden while ill treating the refugees who come to its shores. A system has to be put in place in coordination with the UNHCR to make sure the refugees who come are not left to die in under prepared camps or sold off into prostitution and trafficking. There has to be a concerted effort with the western nations to bring governments like the Burmese Junta or even the Sri Lankan government to task and to highlight the violations of minorities, tribes and other people in those countries. There has to be an awareness that the responsibilities of a rising power extend far beyond its shores and far beyond providing food, water and shelter to its people. It’s high time the western countries were made accountable too. There needs to be a better system to bring violators of human rights and justice to task than just closing one’s eyes, and there needs to be a better international system that is just and equal in bring countries to task not based on their relationship to the west but rather on their history of trying to suppress the human will to be free.

Uncategorized

March 30, 2010

Leave a comment