Hating the hegemon

[GORKHALI]

The writer is a director at the South Asia Free Media Association, Lahore khaled.ahmed@tribune.com.pk
,so don't blame me for anything argh:
Hating the hegemon – The Express Tribune

The way we have handled the affair of Raymond Davis in Lahore shows how anti-American we have become. So-called experts, military and diplomatic, have waxed angry and recommended action that will hurt Pakistan more than America. Why are we going through this high-emotion act? Why have we become so anti-American?

In 2009, American journalist and writer Pamela Constable noted in Peshawar, after the Meena Bazaar explosion there, that the victims insisted the deed was not done by the Taliban. Anyone who watched TV would have come to the conclusion that the victims didn’t want to name the Taliban but implicitly pointed to mischief, jointly planned by the US and India.

So it is India, the schoolbook villain, acting together with the new villain, America. India is where military and civilian minds meet. The general thinks he has been short-changed by America, siding with India at crucial moments and abandoning Pakistan during conflict. The civilian mind is a prisoner of the textbooks written under the spur of Pakistani nationalism, seeking elusive internal cohesion by pointing to an external foe.

There is the Urdu-English divide to consider. Urdu scrutinises nationalism as its function of stocktaking; English scrutinises governance of the state. One focuses on the nuances of honour; the other on practicalities of survival and progress. The discourse of honour dominates in Pakistan. Urdu is the carrier of Pakistan’s ideology that equates Islam with hatred of India, the Jews and, increasingly, America; English expresses a more liberal, objective, and global understanding of Pakistan’s plight.

If there is an Urdu-English overlap, it is in favour of the Urdu opinion. English-language opinion hardly penetrates the Urdu press, unless a selective translation appears favouring the non-liberal view or expressing the liberal-Chomskyan world view.

There are two types of military anti-Americanism. The first is Hamid Gul-ian: It is based on religion and Quranic injunctions against Christians and Jews, and it applies to the West, while focusing particularly on America, the hegemon. The second is Aslam Beg-ian: It is based on a visceral hatred of India and a secular objection to America’s hegemonic high-handedness, including its opposition to Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

Hating the hegemon is historically confirmed. In every age a hegemon ensured the functionality of the global system. But its arrogance inspired the feeling of subservience among the lesser states. When the hegemon declined, its haters attacked it and pulled it apart. Yet what followed was global disorder, which lasted till a new hegemon appeared on the scene.

Disorder and trade disruption followed the destruction of the Roman Empire by Vandals and Visigoths. The Slav nations living under the hegemony of the Ottoman Empire finally got rid of it with the help of Europe and the Arabs, but the ensuing chaos was not remedied till the appearance of the British Empire. The failure of the post-colonial state in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, tells us that fallout from its fall is continuing.

This was followed by the competitive hegemonies of America and the Soviet Union. Pakistan leaned on America to fight its unrealistic wars and is now full of hatred because its narrow regional focus doesn’t gibe with America’s global vision. It now wants to liberate itself from this hegemonic subservience and replace America with its rising competitor, China. Pakistan was ideologically alien to America; China is equally stranger to its ideology.

The lodestar of Pakistani hatred is India and is military-driven. As Pakistan strays from the global system presided over by America, India is adjusting to it. China remains export-driven and avoids confrontation with America and India through trade which is the time-tested instrument of avoidance of war.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20th, 2011.

 

[GORKHALI]

some really nice comments to article

TightDhoti
16 hours ago
Reply

Give the boys the toys they want! F-16s for everyone! After all after eating up the education budget we will never be able to match the technological advances of the great Satan. But no worries, all the bigots will be the first to send their children to top universities in the hated “West” – when they go to visit them on their graduation they can bully their way through immigration and the VIP lounge here, but then sadly have to que up like everyone else when they arrive in the lands ruled by the satanic jews.

Yes the same jews that the rail on about here. Oh, and then they have a change to stop off to meet their friends from the time they spent on US and UK funded military exchange programs and trainings for bureaucrats. Mind it! they never wanted to go, to these unholy lands – this was part of the plan of the hateful Indian-American conspirators – years later, now that they are “experts” in case anyone questioned their loyalties, on Pakistani television screens they have to show how they thwarted “Western” influence by spewing hate.
Recommend
1


R. Khan
15 hours ago
Reply

Excellent article Khalid, as usual. Bravo my friend but nobody is listening, we are living in the country of “Living Dead”. They are alive but mentally dead.
Recommend


shafat
14 hours ago
Reply

great article khaled sahib
Recommend


sandy
12 hours ago
Reply

A well balanced view. scintillating sanity checkers in the land of perpetual chaos.
Recommend


Hassan Khan
11 hours ago
Reply

The author makes somve very good arguments in this article. However, almost all of them are one sided and do not fully reflect the situation on ground in sub-continent. Following are what one should also note:
1- India rejected Kashmiri’s plight of self determination and its promises made by Nehru in UN. Did pakistan ask India to do so?
2- India rejected peace talks and mutual agreement on Kashmir by Ayub, the failure of which led to 1965 war.
3- Inida inadverently intervened against international law in east pakistan. Obviously, no body asked her to do so.
4- It was India who during Zia ul Haq’s time thought that they could attack throug Rajisthan and solve Pakistani problem once for ever.
5- It was Indian establishment who failed the dialouge between Rajiv Ghandi nad Benazir Bhutto.
6- It was Indian establishment that sabotaged the agreemnet between Musharaf and Vajpaee
So hatred gainst India has some roots to it. The anti americanisim was always there in Pakistan. Even before general Baig and General Hamid Gul, the most powerful enemies of america or ” Samraj” were our leftist and pro soviet liberal scholars who after the demise of the Soviet Union very convientiently reversed their ideological loyalities and became pro americans. It is true that intensity of ant- americanism has increased sevral times in last two decades but again just like we did not invite Soviets to come to Afghanistan, we did not asked or invited Americans to come here and fight a lenghthy war. Pakistani people by and large with exception of small minority never accepted or concieved the idea of America or any non muslim country coming here and bombing their brethren in Afghanistan. They suspected that the real motives of US were not clear and they proved themselves correct when America attacked Iraq. So this anti americanism is going to stay there until and unless US foreign policy takes a drastic and more friendly change towards muslim countries. You cant complain about suffocation in you tentr if you do not take the camel out of it.
Recommend
1


vasan
9 hours ago
Reply

“China remains export-driven and avoids confrontation with America and India through trade which is the time-tested instrument of avoidance of war.”
Now we know why Pakistan wants to avoid trade contacts with India.
Recommend
1


Arindom
8 hours ago
Reply

Why does Pakistan hates India so much? Why, Why, Why?

If it thinks China is the solution to all it’s problem, and China go to war against India in support of patently Pakistani endeavours like Kargil and Mumbai, it is living in a fool’s paradise!!!

China India trade has just crossed $60 billion in 2010 and is on path to easily exceed the recently agreed mark of $100 billion in 2015.

The Chinese are no fools…it means trade, trade and moretrade; and it helps too to have a loyal captive Pakistani market of 180 million; since the Pakistanis will not mind it even if it destroys it’s local small and medium industries…..not to speak of the havoc it has caused to it’s key Textile industry….
Recommend


Learner
7 hours ago
Reply

Our “liberal” commentators have become so self-righteous and self-assured that they refuse to see the world without their prejudices. This utterly incoherent article, which starts with Rayomd Davis, pronounces another damning verdict for the usual suspects. I am surprised Zia’s name didn’t come up. Very lazy and reductionist journalism. These “liberals”, who went ballistic after Slaman Taseer’s murder, have to talk about “rational self-interest”, “realpolitik” and “practicalities of survival and progress” in the name of “objective understanding” when it comes to those killed by Raymond Davis. Anyone disagreeing has to be condemned to the “honour brigade”. To them, all lives are equal but some lives are more equal than others.

Long live “liberalism”, “humanrights”, “enlightenment”, “practicalities of survival and progress” and “realpolitik”!
Recommend
3


SharifL
4 hours ago
Reply

Very good piece. I like your last paragraph. May add that Pakistan does not belong to that club of trade oriented countries. We beg, we want to immigrate to US and West and we want to carry on hating America. which will postpone advanement to belong to export oriented countries, with cash to fallback on.The good news is that those who have always stood for ‘strong men’, now know that strong men do not necceasirily deliver and cannot be removed as we have seen in middle east.So a weak democracy is still better, but more action is required to keep the boat afloat and moving in the right direction.
Recommend


sheikh Sarmad
4 hours ago
Reply

Rightist/Extremists want to get rid of hegemon to oppress/terrorise the masses like they did in Afghanistan. their hatred is not against the system of exploitation
Recommend


Gurriya
2 hours ago
Reply

khaled sahab, thanks for being the grain of sanity in a colossal chaff of insanity. hope is you.

 

[r3alist]

whats the point of the article, there is no balance, there are always two sides to a story, and he is only interested in one side.

 

[ajtr]

Over the top​

If only Pakistanis were to call a spade a spade, half their problems would be solved. Agreed that this would trigger a global shortage of spades but so what? We simply refuse to face facts and prefer to continue living in an advanced stage of delusion. The world is at fault. We are just fine – only fighting global conspiracies mounted by our enemies. When things don’t go our scripted way, we are most upset. In this, our perilous journey, laws, rules, or principles have fallen by the wayside. So massive has this dumping been that now we have run out of waysides. We ran out of roads long before. And our Foreign Minister has been pushed out where ravenous PPP firebrands have pounced on him. What irony!

Just when you start thinking surely there couldn’t be more bad news, along comes another punch. If we aren’t already floored by utterly corrupt politicians, venal generals, slimy bureaucrats and criminal cricketers – to name just a few of our great sons of the soil, we now have to contend with the Rahat Fateh Ali episode. Oh and by the way, Shoaib Akthar picked up his first fine in Bangladesh. Way to go hero.

While the final word on Fateh Ali is awaited many wonder how in heaven’s name will he ‘explain’ the presence of so much stash on him? The Indian conspiracy card is out being flashed about as expected. No one seems prepared to square up to some facts – some tough spades. Rahat Fateh Ali is not in the same league as his illustrious uncle but he has talent, popularity and makes huge sums of money in India. What is depressing about this sorry episode is his utter indifference to his position as Pakistan’s ambassador. Don’t people like him or Salman Butt or Ambassador Abbasi ever think about how their actions damage our already tattered image even more? And this is not the first time Rahat Fateh Ali has been involved in dodgy financial deals.

The US$ 124,000 distributed amongst three men, Fateh Ali included cannot be washed away just because artists don’t really know how these things work. Where money is involved, they all do. The Indians have an absolutely inflexible policy on earnings made in their country. You have to pay the prevailing taxes – even though they are as high as 30 to 35 percent of earnings. Event Managers also charge anywhere between 20 to 25 percent of what an artist makes. These taxes apply as much to appearances or record deals. The terms are in black and white on legal paper and there is no getting away from them, provided you are scrupulous..

But then there are always shortcuts. Depending on artists willing to cut deals, shady event managers or chancy record companies, cash exchanges happen, minus taxes of course. Many of our artists are on this list. Such money is often handed over at airports, is then re-located to socks, musical instruments, secret pockets, baggage and so on – Pakistanis are excellent at this creative exercise. If it gets through, you are home and laughing all the way to the bank. If you get nabbed, you are in trouble as Fateh Ali found out the other day in Delhi. The story goes that a leading Indian actor was given an envelope while he was about to board a plane from Lahore and opened it en route only to discover that the sum was astonishingly lower than what had been promised. Pakistani trick number 23 folks.

All artists have managers and they are aware of the law. If not, they should not be managers. Money is always the first item on the agenda. Long before the tours start, these matters are decided, often in black and white. To claim lack of knowledge as has been done by Fateh Ali and others in his party is condemnable because everyone knows that ignorance of the law is no defence. In Fateh Ali’s case, he virtually lives in India. He is in and out more often than I change socks. This was not a novice party out on its maiden voyage to a strange land. There had been half a dozen huge shows, appearances and private parties and Indians paid generously to hear him. I cannot believe that an artist of Fateh Ali’s stature was dealing with shady outfits and even if he was, it was his job to raise this issue of taxes and the laws in India because he is not just any other singer. He represents his country which has few real representatives and he is an icon in both lands.

So what happened? In India, any outfit worth the name will not deal in cash. You can have funds transferred anywhere in the world (except Pakistan) BUT not before necessary taxes are paid and all procedures followed. If Fateh Ali’s troupe was determined to avoid all taxes and still take out US$124,000 they should have divided the money into US$5,000 per head – the entourage is massive and that would have taken care of most of it but they were not thinking.

It was the usual Pakistani greed to break rules and cut corners. The cricketers, politicians, generals, bureaucrats and businessmen all do it as and when, but everyone should understand that you can’t pull off such capers all over the world and get away every time. This will explain our ambassadors being hauled aside at airports and politicians arrested in shady circumstances in Europe, some with mind-blowing cash, some with heroin, some with marijuana, some with obscene amounts of gold. The list grows longer by the day; hardly any one is ever arrested.

However, once such incidents take place, we erupt into a chorus, sing about our innocence and the truth is shoved aside. I hope Fateh Ali is let off with a fine – the Indian film industry needs him and that may influence the verdict, but he has let us all down and considering our poor stock of ‘heroes’ he should have known better. To lie any further or cry foul or shift blame will be even worse. I suppose belonging to a nation that simply refuses to pay any taxes, Fateh Ali imagined he could get away with it abroad as well. As the gurus say, if you cheat, don’t get caught. The other fall out apart from national disgrace is that it causes a huge credibility loss for many other artists who play by the book. They too become suspect and the green book is enough to send officials into paroxysms.

And this may explain why, after many weeks, we are still bewildered by the identity of this strange man called Davis. What a right royal mess we and the USA have cooked up forcing a Lahori wag to look up at the sky and say – is it a bird, is it a plane, no it is Davy boy!

Come on people. Give us a break. Get the story right. Please. Is he a diplomat, a hired gun, a firearms expert, a techie, an undercover agent, a man with a mission (abduct A Q Khan) or a trigger-happy guy who hangs out near Bhatti Tikka House? Every day, somebody or the other comes out with another howler. The US government back home and here, our president and prime minister and the concerned and not concerned ministers, the Foreign Office which is so good at catching its tail and losing it at the same time, the TV pundits; a breed that is fast becoming the nightmare of our blighted lives – everyone has had his two pennies worth. The beards are out in numbers having nothing better to do and we are left holding on to the crumbling wall.

While others march on to progress and prosperity, we seem to be forever entangled in webs. The only good news is that PIA’s MD has been turfed out. Now at last we will have a great airline! Pass me the sick bag Mickey if you still have one left. Better still, give me a spade.



The writer is a Lahore-based columnist. Email: masoodhasan66@gmail.com

 

[Capt.Popeye]

whats the point of the article, there is no balance, there are always two sides to a story, and he is only interested in one side.

Naturally, that is the side (of the border) he lives on. And it it affects his life and future existence. Stands to reason.

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

Very good Article... ....Reflects the reality.....Some ppl or can say most of them deny this as expected...

 

[metro]

@ Pandora- that was a nice article. try not to use such funny smilies when u post such threads. it looks sick.