Posts Tagged ‘Afghanistan’
It’s now called “AFPAK”
There is a recent and overwhelming influx of the term “AFPAK” in jargon of international relations. The term owes it origin to the new policy approach adopted by the Obama Administration. The intragency review of the international strategy in Afghanistan headed by Bruce Riedel concluded that the counter-terrorism efforts need to focus on the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. So now we have the AfPak war. Though President Obama’s intentions can barely be doubted there are some serious concerns that the U.S. will have to contend with in dealing with “AFPAK”.
[Photo Courtesy: Reuters/Jason Reed] Click to continue…
South Asia and the Fourth Wave of Democracy
The Third Wave of Democracy swept through South Asia accompanied with apprehensions and anticipation about how democracy would treat South Asia and how South Asia would treat democracy. This exciting interaction led to helpful answers and new questions regarding the prospects of democracy in the developing countries. South Asia’s reactions to the third wave and consequent developments can provide an insight into the design of the distinctive democratic models emerging across the globe. The third wave was characterized by five forms of regime change, three of which have been witnessed in South Asia. The relevant forms of regime change include:
- Cyclical- alteration between democracy and authoritarianism
- Second-Try Pattern: Weak democracy gives way to authoritarianism which is replaced by stronger democracy
- Interrupted Democracy: Temporary suspension of democratic system and then its resumption
Without exception, all countries of the South Asia region have demonstrated one of the above patterns during their political evolution. The commonality running through these patterns has been a matter of grave regional and international concern: the lack of sustainable democracy in South Asia. Authoritarianism makes an unfortunate return at regular intervals in most of the regional states. Political reforms during the present decade show encouraging signs of greater democratization among the South Asian states. The trials and tribulations of the past experiments and the present challenges reveal certain interesting characteristics of the regional democratic endeavour. The uniqueness of the ‘attempts at democracy’ in South Asia is not only an analytical challenge but also a rare lesson in the consistent desire for democracy despite recurring failure. The developments in South Asia mark the beginning of the Fourth wave of democracy: trial and error democracy to evolve appropriate variants of Western liberal democracy. This wave is inspired by the failure to duplicate the popular tenets of Western democracies, the attempts to align demands of identity and freedom in new democracies, proper balance of state guidance and individual freedom and a process which while maintaining the distinctiveness of various ethnic, religious and cultural diversities successfully undertakes the nation-building endeavour.
Political developments in each of the eight states are specimens for comprehending the future of the Fourth wave. The present discussion is not expected to be a historical narrative of democratic experiments in South Asia. It is an attempt to understand the democratic innovativeness, in response to national demands, and its consequent impact on the nature of the political systems in South Asia. Click to continue…
Is The Afghanistan Crisis Helping Global Reconciliation?
Reformulation of the international approach to manage the Afghanistan crisis is currently dominating political dialogue in most Capitals and strategic headquarters. A host of international conferences scheduled for the next fortnight are expected to explore the best possible alternatives for dealing with the multifaceted challenges in Afghanistan. The Obama Administration has undertaken a comprehensive review of the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan. Suggestions and proposals on the issue are pouring from all quarters and it appears that Afghanistan is poised for a grand moment in history. Will the Afghanistan challenge emerge as the Noah’s Ark – a common platform for global cooperation sheltered from the vagaries of divergent ideologies, political ambitions and nationalistic aspirations? In an atmosphere where power politics of the Realist School is dominating international relations, can Afghanistan serve as a common cause for which ideological differences will be shed and new forms of global engagement will emerge? Click to continue…
Muslim Public opinion on Terrorism and U.S. policies
Terrorism is as much detested by the majority of the global Muslim population as is U.S. troop presence in Muslim countries. A recent study of public opinion in predominantly Muslim countries reveals that the population is widely opposed to the use of violence for religious purposes. However, they endorse the Al-Qaeda’s mission to expel U.S. forces and bases from territory of Muslim countries. Here are few interesting figures from the Survey:
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Across eight Muslim publics on average, 66% considered the presence of U.S. naval forces in the Persian Gulf as a bad idea. The opposition is largest in Egypt (91%) but also considerable in the NATO member state of Turkey (77%)
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From 87% (Egypt) to 62% (Indonesia) of the population believes that the U.S. seeks to weaken and divide the Islamic world.
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Widespread support for involvement of Islamic parties and groups in national politics: 83% in Pakistan, 81% in Indonesia, 53% in Turkey, 50% in Jordan.
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55% in Pakistan and 84% in Egypt disapproved of attacks on civilians in the U.S.
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Significant numbers approved of attacks on U.S. troops based in Muslim countries: 83% of the Egyptians approved of the attacks on U.S. in Iraq.
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According to 36% in Pakistan and 59% in Azerbaijan, the U.s. favors democracy only if the government is cooperative.
Highlighting the general views towards the U.S. the Survey concludes:
Views of the US government continue to be quite negative. The US is widely seen as hypocritically failing to abide by international law, not living up to the role it should play in world affairs, disrespectful of the Muslim people, and using its power in a coercive and unfair fashion.
It is interesting to note that some the most negative responses towards the U.S. have come from countries that are not traditionally considered threatening. This highlights the fact that despite cordial political relations, the Muslim population in many countries is opposed to the U.S. foreign policy strategies. Some of these figure and responses might help the Obama Administration in refurbishing the U.S. policy towards the Muslim world.
Afghanistan and The Global Conference Bazaar
The situation in Afghanistan seems to have become a subject of real global concern. In a matter of less than two months, over five international conferences/summits have been devoted to discussing the Afghanistan crisis. Are such parallel and overlapping conferences justified when the scoio-economic situation in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse?
The agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Summit meeting for 2009 is Afghanistan. The NATO’s Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has been invited to attend the Summit scheduled for March 27. On March 31 an International Conference on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held in Hague. Over 70 countries and nine organizations including UN and NATO have been invited for the Conference and are expected to discuss vital issues of administration, security and future development in Afghanistan. The conference has been organized at the initiative of the U.S. but would be presided over by the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Iran’s participation in the conference has already created much news and is viewed by many as an ice-breaker in U.S. –Iran relations. The NATO Summit in Germany and France during April 3-4 is expected to be dominated by discussion on Afghanistan. The NATO Defense Ministers have already met in February and deliberated on the challenges in Afghanistan. Not to forget the special segment on “The Future of Alliance and Mission in Afghanistan” at the Munich Security Conference in February.
Hopefully this marathon of conferences will provide some tangible answers to the real problems facing Afghanistan and not be confined to mere diplomatic exchanges.
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - I
Mainstream politics in South Asia is undergoing a major transformation. Recent developments in the region indicate that elements from the extreme left, armed factions, separatist groups and the ideologically marginalized are entering mainstream politics. Is this transformation reflective of wider democratization or radicalization of politics? Click to continue…
After Bipartisanship at home, its multilateralism abroad
“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.”
With these words was inaugurated the Presidency of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. The promise of change that had dominated President Obama’s election campaign was expected to graduate as America’s new political philosophy at home and abroad. The emphasis on changing partisan bickering to bipartisan dialogue and hard power based unilateralism to cooperative multilateralism arrived with the new President to re-define America’s image and conduct.