Newsweek and Zakaria humbug
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/11/20/the-prize-is-india.html
http://www.newsweek.com/zakaria-afpak-india-real-prize-76655?piano_t=1
This is a surprisingly naïve article by an otherwise erudite Mr. Zakaria. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 1200km border, and Afghanistan’s Pashtun majority straddles the border area between the two countries. Pashto is the main language spoken in Afghanistan and is the language of one of Pakistan’s four provinces. India on the other hand has no common border, no common language, and no common ethnicity with Afghanistan. Hence its efforts to prop up governments of ethnic minority in that country, as in the past, are likely to fail. US is finally coming to this realization, and now is ready to swallow the bitter pill of talking to the Taliban (who are 100% Pashtun) – at least the ones who might be malleable.
Pakistan would like a regime to its liking in Afghanistan, but that does not mean that this regime would be anti-American or pro hardcore Taliban. Pakistan has put enormous resources at work to rout Taliban (at least the ones attacking Pakistani cities). Pakistan might have sided with the Taliban in the past, but the new world is quite different. And Mr. Zakaria’s assertion that Pakistan created Taliban is incomplete and misleading. It was the unholy alliance of CIA and ISI that created these holy warriors, and America armed them to the teeth, and glorified them. I vividly remember the footage of the first Afghan war where the western media establishments extolled the bravery of “Mujahideen” fighting the Russian invaders. Taliban are the same Mujahideen; they were not air dropped into Afghanistan from elsewhere.
Mr. Zakaria’s other assertion that South Asia is a tar pit filled with failed states, except India, is also curious. Afghanistan is the only failed state in South Asia. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka might be poor, but are not technically failed. Pakistan has been ruled by military for many years, but it’s GDP per person is very comparable to India. It always had a relatively strong central govt, a strong cohesive army, and functioning courts and law enforcement agencies. Mr. Zakaria seems to imply that democracy is the true test of a state’s success or failure. If this were true then even China would be considered a failed state – a conclusion ridiculous in the extreme.
Mr. Zakaria’s summary comment that US officials tell him that India has limited intelligence operations in Afghanistan posses more questions that answers. With growing Indian influence in Afghanistan, Pakistan would naturally feel squeezed between the two neighbors, one of whom it has gone to war thrice. Pakistan government already bristles at and accuses Indian intelligence agencies of supporting a bloody insurgency in Baluchistan, a province that shares large tribal border with Afghanistan. Assuming that Pakistan will be pliable in the face of growing Indian intelligence influence in this largely uncontrolled area is very naive.
It’s almost as if Mr. Zakaria looked at a map of the world where Pakistan (and most of South Asia except India) was missing when writing this article. Or perhaps he was still too imbibed by his recent mutual-back-slapping interview with Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh to think clearly and objectively. I can understand Mr. Zakaria’s affinity for his birthplace. We all are emotionally tethered to our home countries to varying extent. However, the rest of us are not entrusted to write objectively for a major international news magazine.
http://www.newsweek.com/zakaria-afpak-india-real-prize-76655?piano_t=1
This is a surprisingly naïve article by an otherwise erudite Mr. Zakaria. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 1200km border, and Afghanistan’s Pashtun majority straddles the border area between the two countries. Pashto is the main language spoken in Afghanistan and is the language of one of Pakistan’s four provinces. India on the other hand has no common border, no common language, and no common ethnicity with Afghanistan. Hence its efforts to prop up governments of ethnic minority in that country, as in the past, are likely to fail. US is finally coming to this realization, and now is ready to swallow the bitter pill of talking to the Taliban (who are 100% Pashtun) – at least the ones who might be malleable.
Pakistan would like a regime to its liking in Afghanistan, but that does not mean that this regime would be anti-American or pro hardcore Taliban. Pakistan has put enormous resources at work to rout Taliban (at least the ones attacking Pakistani cities). Pakistan might have sided with the Taliban in the past, but the new world is quite different. And Mr. Zakaria’s assertion that Pakistan created Taliban is incomplete and misleading. It was the unholy alliance of CIA and ISI that created these holy warriors, and America armed them to the teeth, and glorified them. I vividly remember the footage of the first Afghan war where the western media establishments extolled the bravery of “Mujahideen” fighting the Russian invaders. Taliban are the same Mujahideen; they were not air dropped into Afghanistan from elsewhere.
Mr. Zakaria’s other assertion that South Asia is a tar pit filled with failed states, except India, is also curious. Afghanistan is the only failed state in South Asia. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka might be poor, but are not technically failed. Pakistan has been ruled by military for many years, but it’s GDP per person is very comparable to India. It always had a relatively strong central govt, a strong cohesive army, and functioning courts and law enforcement agencies. Mr. Zakaria seems to imply that democracy is the true test of a state’s success or failure. If this were true then even China would be considered a failed state – a conclusion ridiculous in the extreme.
Mr. Zakaria’s summary comment that US officials tell him that India has limited intelligence operations in Afghanistan posses more questions that answers. With growing Indian influence in Afghanistan, Pakistan would naturally feel squeezed between the two neighbors, one of whom it has gone to war thrice. Pakistan government already bristles at and accuses Indian intelligence agencies of supporting a bloody insurgency in Baluchistan, a province that shares large tribal border with Afghanistan. Assuming that Pakistan will be pliable in the face of growing Indian intelligence influence in this largely uncontrolled area is very naive.
It’s almost as if Mr. Zakaria looked at a map of the world where Pakistan (and most of South Asia except India) was missing when writing this article. Or perhaps he was still too imbibed by his recent mutual-back-slapping interview with Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh to think clearly and objectively. I can understand Mr. Zakaria’s affinity for his birthplace. We all are emotionally tethered to our home countries to varying extent. However, the rest of us are not entrusted to write objectively for a major international news magazine.
posted by madinmanhattan | 4:24 PM
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