Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Articles
Hindutva: Its Past & Future A. G. Noorani 3
Essays
North Koreas Chemical & Biological S. Mushfiq Murshed 95
Weapons Proliferation
A. G. Noorani*
Abstract
(Hinduism is a noble and ancient faith. Hindutva is a modern and
fascist concept Under Modi the gloves are off. Hindutva has acquired
a menacing lease on life.- Author.
In this article, A.G. Noorani references and analysis the rise of Hindutva
in India based on a central theme - rejection of the very concept of
Indian nationalism; i.e. territorial nationalism. And the formulation
of the concept of cultural nationalism which the Bharatiya Jan
Sangh and its successor the Bharatiya Janata Party swear by. Cultural
nationalism is a deceptive cover for Hindu religious nationalism.
Editor and Quotes from Author)
It was precisely this question that preoccupied both B.S. Moonje and
K.B. Hedgewar, from which they derived the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) as the answer. In a densely fascinating way, a logic was
started that severely minimized British colonialism within a much
longer historical frame of Hindu resistance to what were conceived
as all foreign invaders. This logic culminated in Savarkars Hindutva
(1923) and Swami Shraddhanands Hindu Sangathan Saviour of a
dying race (1926), both written in the midst of one of the most violent
troubled periods of anti-colonial agitation during the first manifestation
of a genuinely mass anti-colonial movement, but which can be read
with barely any indication within them that British colonialism was
even present. (A similar theme preoccupied later Hindutva ideologues:
the British colonial period was effectively dismissed or conceived as
relatively being, even civilizing and moral in character in comparison
with the early or high medieval periods of Mughal rule, which were
seen as periods of ruthless oppression and genocide of Hindus). (Hindu
Nationalism; Berg, Oxford; pp. 50-53). It is a war on history and a
revenge on the Muslims of today for imagined wrongs of the past.
Interestingly it was none other than Lala Lajpat Rai who noted the
growth of Hindu revivalism in the 9th of the series of 13 articles he wrote
for The Tribune in 1924. In their own way, Hindu revivalists have left
nothing undone to create a strictly exclusive and aggressive communal
feeling. Early in the eighties of the last century some of the Hindu
religious leaders came to the conclusion that Hinduism was doomed
unless it adopted the aggressive features of militant Islam and militant
Christianity. The Arya Samaj is a kind of militant Hinduism. But the
idea was by no means confined to the Arya Samaj. Swami Vivekanad
and his gifted disciple Sister Nivedita, among others, were of the same
mind. The articles which she wrote on aggressive Hinduism are the
clearest evidence of that mentality.
Dr. Purohit opined: One may not wholly agree with such views,
yet there is some element of truth in them. That truth is that Hindu
revivalism had a powerful influence upon the Revolutionaries of India.
Bankimchandra Chatterjees Anand Math had a very powerful impact
upon the revolutionaries of the day. His depiction of future Mother
India was singularly religious; future Mother India was Durga, the
goddess with a resplendent face, wearing all sorts of weapons of force in
her hands, and in the left hand seizing the hair of the Asura, her enemy,
and in the right hand assuring all not to be afraid. The revolutionaries
who moved incognito as Sanyasins were like the characters in the
Anand Math. Durga, the goddess and the mother, became one with
the country, the greater goddess and the mother. His Bande Mataram
became the hymn for the revolutionaries.
The Sabha framed its objective of loyal cooperation with the colonial
government. Indeed, the All India Hindu Sabha did not organize annual
national meetings during the mass satyagraha and boycott periods of
1919 or 1920, partly because it was by then a moribund organization but
also because it tended to remain aloof from the explicit non-cooperation
strategy of Congress. However, in its session of April 1921, during
which the Sabha was renamed the All-India Hindu Mahasabha, the
objective of loyal cooperation was appended with the aim of evolving
a united and self-governing Indian nation.
The Jan Sangh was set up by the RSS in 1951. In 1977 it dissolved
itself and merged with other opposition parties to form the Janata Party.
It seceded in 1980 to revive the Jan Sangh as the BJP. Every election
manifesto of the BJP swears by cultural nationalism.
To every Hindu, from the Santal to the Sadhu this Bharat bhumi
this Sindhusthan is at once a Pitribhu and a Punyabhu fatherland and
a holy land. That is why in the case of some of our Mohammedan or
Christian countrymen who had originally been forcibly converted to a
non-Hindu religion and who consequently have inherited along with
Hindus, a common Fatherland and a greater part of the wealth of a
common culture language, law, customs, folklore and history are not
and cannot be recognized as Hindus. Their mythology and Godmen,
ideas and heroes are not the children of this soil. Consequently their
names and their outlook smack of a foreign origin they do not look
upon India as their Holyland.
But the non-Hindus are free to become Hindus. Ye, who by race,
by blood, by culture, by nationality possess almost all the essentials of
Hindutva and had been forcibly snatched out of our ancestral home by
the hand of violence ye, have only to render whole-hearted love to our
common Mother and recognize her not only as Fatherland (Pitribhu) but
even as a Holyland (punyabhu); and ye would be most welcome to the
Hindu fold.
Golwalkar offers them a grim choice. There are only two courses
open to the foreign elements, either to merge themselves in the national
race and adopt its culture, or to live at its mercy so long as the national
race may allow them to do so and to quit the country at the sweet will
of the national race. That is the only sound view on the minorities
problem. That is the only logical and correct solution. That alone keeps
the national life healthy and undisturbed. That alone keeps the Nation
safe from the danger of a cancer developing into its body politic of the
creation of a state within the state. From this standpoint, sanctioned by
the experience of shrewd old nations, the foreign races in Hindusthan
must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect
Golwalkar rejected the view that Hindus in this land stand on the
same footing as the Muslims. This lies at the very heart of the thesis
of Sangh Parivar (family). The land belongs to the Hindus; none else.
That explains the ghar wapsi (return to home) campaign which spread
One must not overlook the fact that Savarkar expounded his ideas
on Hindutva once again when he became President of the Mahasabha in
1937. He spoke of Hindu Nation well before Mohammed Ali Jinnah
did. Savarkar said: Yes, we Hindus are a Nation by ourselves. Because
religious, racial, cultural and historical affinities bind us intimately into
a homogenous nation and added to it we are most pre-eminently gifted
with a territorial unity as well. Our racial being is identified with India
our beloved Fatherland and our Holyland, above all and irrespective of
it all we Hindus will to be a Nation and, therefore, we are a Nation. None
has a right to challenge or demand a proof of our common nationality
when some thirty crores of us Hindus are with it.
That has now come to pass. In 1990 the BJP President L. K. Advani
said: Henceforth only those who fight for Hindu interests would rule
India L. K. Advani on 19 November 1990. Secular policy is putting
unreasonable restrictions on Hindu aspirations - Advani on 20 October,
1990. It would not be wrong to call the BJP a Hindu party - Advani to
BBC as quoted in the Organiser of 5 August, 1989.
Under Modi the gloves are off. Hindutva has acquired a menacing
lease on life. As Prof. Donald Eugene Smith warned in his classic,
India as a Secular State (Princeton University Press; 1963), Nehru
once remarked that Hindu communalism was the Indian version of
fascism, and, in the case of the RSS, it is not difficult to perceive certain
similarities. The leader principle, the stress on militarism, the doctrine
of racial-cultural superiority, ultra-nationalism infused with religious
idealism, the use of symbols of past greatness, the emphasis on national
solidarity, the exclusion of religious or ethnic minorities from the
nation-concept all of these features of the RSS are highly reminiscent
of fascist movements in Europe. Fascism, however, is associated with a
concept of state-worship; the state as the all-absorbing reality in which
the individual loses himself and in so doing finds ultimate meaning.
This conception has no counterpart in RSS ideology; in fact, the Sangh
explicitly rejects the notion that its objectives could be attained through
the power of the state. Its aim is the regeneration of Hindu society, which
must come from within. However, it is impossible to say how the RSS
would respond if political power ever came within reach, either directly
or through the Jana Sangh. The implementation of certain aspects of its
Modi has been systematically altering the ethos of public life and
subverting the secular character of the State by a series of executive
measures (cow slaughter and the rest) and by willful neglect of Muslims.
Not one Muslim was given the BJP ticket in the UP Assembly elections.
Abstract
(Despite an unprecedented international effort to understand and counter
radicalism, the phenomenon appears only at the formulation stage, and
hence least understood; or to be exact, grossly misunderstood. Scores of
flawed studies and half-baked narratives have not been able to scratch
the issue beyond skin-deep. Some of such narratives have actually
contributed to a rise in radicalism. This calls for a paradigm shift in
global counter radicalizationstarting from redoing the narrative.
Introduction
South Asia
Europe
A typical narrative should also take into account that it may not
always be possible to convince someone to give up an ideology, but it
can still convince someone to give up violent elements of that ideology.
Moreover, it should allow for experimentation and innovation at local
levels, particularly in developing channels for community outreach.
Conclusion
References
1 Mohammed Elshimi, De-radicalisation interventions as technologies of the self:
a Foucauldian analysis. Critical Studies on Terrorism (Volume 8, 2015 - Issue
1). Published online on April 09, 2015. p. 110-129. http://www.tandfonline.com/
doi/abs/10.1080/17539153.2015.1005933?journalCode=rter20
2 Terrorism, Encyclopedia.com http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-
and-law/political-science-and-government/political-science-terms-and-
concepts-92
3 Professor Arun Kundnani Arun Kundnani, A Decade Lost Rethinking
Radicalisation and Extremism, (Claystone January 2015. http://docplayer.
net/15237324-A-decade-lost-rethinking-radicalisation-and-extremism.html
4 Ibid.
5 Arun Kundnani, Radicalisation: the journey of a concept First Published
September 18, 2012 Research Article. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1
177/0306396812454984?journalCode=racb
6 Basia Spalek, Radicalisation, de-radicalisation and counter-radicalisation in
Abstract
(Most accounts of partition of India revolve around either the all India
dimension of the politics during British Raj or to the politics of Punjab
and Bengal as the two largest Muslim majority provinces, which were
ultimately partitioned themselves. Much less attention is paid to either
NWFP or Sindh, which were relatively new provinces given that they
had been separated from Punjab and Bombay Presidency respectively
much later. This article focuses on the politics in Sindh leading up
to independence and creation of Pakistan and shows how Jinnahs
role constantly was that of a firefighter between different factions. In
particular this article concentrates on how G M Syed, the great advocate
for Pakistan turned against the Muslim League and was progressively
alienated so much so that today he is remembered in Pakistan as a
Sindhi separatist and a traitor to Pakistan despite his stellar record
in the Pakistan Movement. Author)
Sindh was, in that sense, the newest province being only created
as a separate province in earnest on 1 April 1936 after the Government
of India Act 1935 went into force. The separation of Sindh from the
Bombay Presidency was a long-standing Muslim demand as is reflected
in Jinnahs 14 points.
Sindhs legislative assembly had 60 seats out of which 35 seats were
Muslim seats.1 The Muslim politicians of the province were divided into
a number of parties including Sindh Azad Party, Sindh United Party,
Sindh Muslim Party as well as Congress and a number of independents.
Before the 1937 elections Jinnah as the leader of the All India Muslim
* The author is a practicing lawyer based in Lahore. He is also the author of the
book, Jinnah; Myth or Reality. His email address is Yasser.hamdani@gmail.
com
During the marathon meetings that took place the Sindhi Muslim
leaders agreed with Jinnah that there should be a united Muslim party.
In his statement of October 13 1938, Jinnah stated the following:
On October 9, all four groups met Jinnah along with Sikandar Hayat,
the Premier of Punjab and Fazlul Haq, Premier of Bengal, and signed an
agreement which was as under:
(4) Khan Bahadur Allah Bux and Sir Ghulam Hussain are to
intimate those Muslim members who are in Karachi already
and ask them to attend the meeting fixed for October 12.
With the prospect of the Muslim League ministry now looming large,
the Sindh Congress party leadership wired Congress high Command
Khan Bahadur Allah Bux Soomro was facing another crisis, which
threatened to alienate his Hindu supporters, which was the Om Mandli
incident. Lekhraj Khubchand Kriplani, a Hindu reformer, had established
a spiritual organization called Om Mandli in 1932. This body promoted
womens empowerment and asked Hindu women to be less submissive
to their male family members. The Hindus in Sindh were up in arms.
Indian National Congress denounced the movement as a disturber of
peace and so did other Hindus. G M Syed writes:
Now it was time for Muslim League to use the issue to bring down
Allah Bux Soomros ministry. The Manzilgah agitation was blatantly
used to mobilize public opinion against the Soomro ministry, which
ultimately fell after the Indian National Congress voted with the Muslim
League in the vote of no confidence. Soomro was hoist with his own
petard.
Yours sincerely
L. Graham6
Mir Bandeh Ali Khan joined the Muslim League and there was
speculation that it had been done to ensure his continuity as the premier.
In any event Allah Bux Soomro made it back to the post of the premier
in 1941 after Soomro was assured support of the Congress and the Hindu
members again.
The Sindh Premier chose to leave the train but somehow did not
make any effort to stop its derailment. Nevertheless the Hurs now
considered him an enemy and he, in turn, made several speeches against
the Hurs after the murder of a member of the Sindh Assembly, Seth
Sitaldas. The Hur Act was introduced in April 1942 by Allah Bux
Soomros government to control the Hur disturbances. In October 1942
Soomro gave up his British titles and honours in support of the Quit India
movement, leading to his dismissal by the Sindh Governor, Hugh Dow,
which brought Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayetullah back into power. The
Sindh Muslim League, against strongly worded advice to the contrary
from Jinnah at the center, joined the Hidayetullah Ministry. G M Sayed
also managed to maneuver a resolution in the Sindh Assembly endorsing
the Lahore Resolution - 24 to 3. This was the first time a legislature in
British India had endorsed the Pakistan demand.
The Hurs meanwhile did not give up their hatred for Soomro and
learning of the Pirs execution on 23 March 1943, murdered Allah Bux
Soomro on 14 May 1943. Ayub Khuhro, the Muslim League leader,
was also accused of having plotted with the Hurs to murder Soomro,
laying the foundations for long standing rivalry between the Soomros
and Khuhros in Sindh. The alleged Khuhro connection came through
the testimony of Mohammad Khan, a Hur turned Police Informant and
approver who said that Hur Party in Khairpur State in Sindh were visited
by one Wali Mohammad and Daresh, Ayub Khuhros Kamdar, who
told them that Khan Bahadur Ayub Khuhro wanted Allah Bux Soomro
dead.8
Yours sincerely
H. Dow
One of the earliest visitors Khuhro had in jail was one of his bitter
opponents at this time, G. M. Syed. Writing to Jinnah on 4 October
Yusuf Haroon mentions the fact:
Syed had come to Khuhro to say mea culpa and ask forgiveness.
He admitted to Khuhro that he had conspired with Gazdar to remove
him from the cabinet and had promised Gazdar Premiership, but he said
that his intention had only been to remove Khuhro from power and not
to put his life at risk. Syed said that he would now do everything in
his power to help Khuhro. Knowing well the mercurial and emotional
nature of Syed and also his basic honesty, Khuhro could not hold any
grudge and readily forgave him.
Yours sincerely
H. Dow12
From this it can be seen that the British were also actively supporting
the premier and were hoping to breach the Muslim League ranks
by turning ministrys ire against GM Syed, who in fact they wanted
detained in his village because he was considered such a threat. Jinnah,
they calculated, wanted desperately to have a Muslim League ministry
in Sindh to bolster his claim to speak for all Muslims in the subcontinent.
That the Perfidious Albion had his own role to play in the whole matter
becomes quite clear when we consider the letter above.
The first public break between G M Syed and Jinnah came a few
weeks later. G M Syed, along with Shaikh Abdul Majid Sindhi attempted
to bring a cut motion against the Premier. This motion was defeated. In
response to these latest developments, Jinnah cabled to G M Syed:
The Council of the Sindh Provincial Muslim League does not fully
agree with the convention established by the All India Muslim League,
which aims at divesting the provincial Leagues of all their inherent
powers of control and supervision over Provincial Assembly Parties and
ministries. This policy, in the opinion of the Council, is unworkable,
prejudicial to the interest of the provinces and one, which must be
revised in view of the following grounds and circumstances:
In view of these and other grounds, the Council urges upon the
All-India Muslim League to revise the policy, and procedure, so as to
avoid the provincial Leagues being reduced to a position of absolute
impotency in the matter.
Your sincerely
H. Dow14
References
1 Afzal, M.R., 2013.A History of the All-India Muslim League, 1906-1947. Oxford
University Press. Page 393.
2 Ibid Page 394
3 Jinnah, M.A. and Ahmad, W., 1992.The Nations Voice, Towards Consolidation:
United we win: annotated speeches and statements March 1935- March 1940.
Quaid-i-Azam Academy. Pages 279-281
4 Ibid Page 297
5 http://www.gmsyed.org/path/path_not_taken.pdf
6 Ibid
7 http://www.gmsyed.org/path/path_not_taken.pdf
8 Case record. Crown v. Ayub Khuhro, recounted here: http://the-reporter.info/
feb07/bookreview/index.htm which is an excerpt from Mohammad Ayub
Khuhro by Hamida Khuhro.
9 http://the-reporter.info/apr07/bookreview/index.htm an excerpt from Mohammad
Ayub Khuhro, the Iron Man of Sindh.
10 http://the-reporter.info/jan07/bookreview/index.htm
11 Letter from Wavell to Amery 15 November 1944
12 Hugh Dow to Wavell 9 February 1945
13 Jinnah to G M Syed Telegram 28 February 1945
14 Hugh Dow to Wavell 2 July 1945
15 http://www.gmsyed.org/path/path_not_taken.pdf
16 Meeting of the Cabinet Delegation with G M Syed, April 1946 Simla
Ozer Khalid
Abstract
(A few years back ISIS unleashed a Fourth Reich, a Pandora`s box on
our planet evolving from a Paper State to a Caliphate.1 Now that
they are territorially banished a whole host of challenges and threats
unleash and unravel in the flammable tinderbox that is the Middle East,
a historical haven for war after war. Author)
Though the physical war against ISIS, by and large, has been
won, on a geographical and territorial basis, the ideological war to be
waged on the battlefront of ideas must ensue for generations to come
if we are to render radicalism`s ideological appeal intellectually defunct
and unappealing. Ideological ideas are, after all, bullet-proof and take
generations to quell, contain, weed and filter out.
* Opinions expressed herein are a collation of thoroughly researched empirical and
expert views, and do not necessary reflect the author`s nor Criterion Quarterly`s
editorial stance.
The author is a geo-strategist, a senior management consultant, a development
sector specialist and a journalist. Twitter follow @ozerkhalid; e-mail
ozzerkhalid@gmail.com
Even though many IS members now lack faith in IS, as many have
defected or surrendered, still, careful and cautious optimism is counseled.
What we are likely to now witness are the most virulent battle-hardened
brain-washed IS zealots eager to execute an aggressive covert guerilla
insurgency in Syria, Iraq and in an expansive international theater.
Assad and his cronies have been elbowing in to target Deir Ezzor
and mount a stealthy assault against IS, inching Assad strategically
closer to Iraq`s border a paramount prerogative for Iran, his prime
ally. Assad`s proximity to the Iraqi border is untenable for the Trump
administration, which seeks to counter Tehran`s regional heft. The
bitter truth is that for many short-sighted politicos, ISIS always was
a neutralizing force against Iran`s Shiite influence. Even many in
the West deployed superficial anti-IS Orwellian double-speak12 non
authentic language when secretly they saw IS as a counter hegemonic
force against Iran.
The death of Mullah Omar, for instance, did not end the Taliban,
they are in fact gruesomely emboldened in South Asia, most recently
taking credit for the stomach-churning suicide bombing near Ferozepur
Road on July, 24, 2017 in Lahore.
ISIS are not even sparing children. They are grooming and raising
these children like the blood-diamond child soldiers of Sierra Leone.
ISIS is deliberately forcing children (up to 50,000 according to numerous
statistics) to the frontlines in the heat of battle. Children and women,
whose fathers/husbands fought for ISIS and have since died, are being
used as covert weapons of war.
Many IS militants who joined the Godless death cult since 2013
have now contacted their embassies seeking to return home. Police
and law enforcement will vet each case and seek to determine the extent
of criminality.22 Many may face life in prison. Many others will require
grief counseling and rehabilitation. Many, however, ideologically
firebrand members may still, despite counseling, pretend to be cured
but camouflage their true intentions just to fit in in order to exact a
ruthless IS revenge, avenging the crumbling Caliphate and terrorizing
soft civilian target strikes on the continent as was recently the case in
Sweden, Manchester and London Bridge.
Source: Institute for the Study of War (2017) Russian Airstrikes in Syria: Pre-and
Post-Ceasefire
The Russian air force is restructuring its aerial advances in Syria
to prompt Washington into partnership with Moscow32 as the Kremlin
knows all too well that Uncle Sam cannot single-handedly decimate
militants, counter Iran`s ascendance and establish parameters for a
palatable peace settlement. In June and July 2017, Russia launched high
profile airstrikes, cruise missiles33 and bomb runs against ISIS in Homs,
eastern Hama, and Deir ez Zour to bolster war-criminal Assad`s iron-
fisted regime.
Qatar recently announced its aim to raise liquid natural gas output
by 30 per cent, augmenting production from its Northern Field which it
shares with Iran. Iran, as oil tycoons know all too intimately, is content
with augmenting output on its side of the North Field. It is little wonder
the Saudis are fuming. A post-ISIS conflict-rived Syria may allow Qatar
to run a pipeline across its land onto the Mediterranean and into Europe,
reducing Russian oil and gas dependency and routes. Qatar, therefore,
now (momentarily) sees more strategic utility with Tehran than it does
with Riyadh.
For the rest of the world, the Gulf crisis solely shames the Arabs.
The palestinians are forgotten (as usual) as the conflict in Syria (and
Iraq) rages on and the world is naively transfixed by the infantile and
tribal quarrels of some of the wealthiest Monarchs on earth46.
Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE and Egypt all officially welcome
U.S.intervention under Trump which was lacking during Obamas
perceived passivity, though, unofficially, they are all positioning
themselves to cater to latent deeper-seated agendas. They know their
target audience. They play to it.
The Nusra Front cut the umbilical cord from their mother
organization, salting the previous wounds of al Qaedas having lost its
former Iraqi partner in crime, the former `Islamic State` of Iraq, which
went on to rebrand52 itself and declare the notorious `Caliphate`. None
of this exemplifies long-term strategic thinking. However, no analyst
can ever rule out that these militants, even discretely behind the scenes,
may reconcile their differences, forge mutually beneficial momentary
There is no love lost between ISIS and al Qaeda. These terrorists and
their sycophants revileone another. Al Qaeda adherents dismiss ISIS
as extremists, Kharijites and takfiris.54 ISIS, in turn, retaliates by
labeling al Qaeda devotees as the Jews of Jihad and disciples of the
Sufi sacrilegious Taliban.55 Such divergence remains rooted in deep-
seated religious differences dating back to decades.
Such terror flames will burn fiercer and ignite further due to
mass migration, rampant rabid Islamophobia on the rise in the West
(witnessed recently with horrid European-wide acid attacks on innocent
Muslims and the targeting of mosques such as UK`s Finsbury57 Park
Mosque) and the rise of Far Right Fascist58 populism. Western arm-
chair audiences are psychologically conditioned, with almost Pavlovian
precision, to feel satisfied with hackneyed half-hearted assurances from
politicians, whilst millions of refugees risk life and limb, kith and kin
and yet remain languishing at the precipice of Europes ever-closing
borders.
As the military branch of ISIS draws its last gasps in Iraq, the
ideological ISIS perilously hovers over a deeply divided region. Till
its last breath ISIS will leave no stone unturned to further destabilize
an extremely distracted, internally conflicted and territorially non-
contiguous Middle East, where blood and brutality will remain visible
for the foreseeable future. Thus far, only two million displaced Iraqis
The Next Frontier - the War after the War - An Ideological Battle
The territorial physical victory over ISIS should not end Western
involvement in the Middle East.68 Western presence, development aid,
institution building and, most importantly, empowering indigenous
Syrian and Iraqi civilians and institutions will be needed.
After the victory in Deir Ezzor, the warfare against IS enters a new
phase. A phase that I refer to as the `triple I` phase - a war of intelligence,
intellect and ideology against militants worldwide. Spiritual support by
peaceful community elders69, the restoration of self-confidence among
Iraqi and Syrian forces and inclusive economic opportunities are the
way forward. Failing to achieve this, unemployed anguished citizens
are likelier to fall into the arms of IS reincarnations, whatever name and
nomenclature they go by.
References
1 A turn of phrase conceptually borrowed from Cole Bunzel (2016) a Ph.D.
candidate in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and
the author of From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State.
2 Kurdish-led forces capture new district in Raqqa city, kill scores of ISIS
militants.ARA News. 19 June 2017.
3 US expands air base in northern Syria for use in battle for Raqqa. Stars and
Stripes. 3 April 2017.
4 Islamic juridical scholarly ruling.
5 Ozer Khalid, of Criterion Quarterly, in Volume 12 Number 2, exhaustively
documented the presence of ISIS in South Asia rebranded as Daesh al-Khorasan
for how the terrorists are making inroads into Pakistan and Afghanistan consult:
Khalid, Ozer (2017) ISIS in Pakistan & Afghanistan: From Rhetoric to Reality.
Criterion Quarterly, Vol 12 No. 2 June 22, 2017.
6 In June 2017 right before Eid lives countless lives perished in Quetta For more on
Quetta related terrorism review Tanveer (2016)93 mourners dead after bomb
explodes at hospital in Pakistan, Metro UK, 10 August2016.
7 In Parachinar a blast kills at least 21 in Pakistan vegetable market in January and
then again during Eid in JUne 2017 a terrorist assault occured targeting mostly
Shias. For more Afzal, Hussain (2017).Carnage at Parachinar market; 25
killed, 87 injured.Dawn newspaper.22 January2017 and Agencies & Ali Akbar
(2017).Blast in Parachinar vegetable market kills 25. Dawn News.January
21,2017.
8 Several Islamic scholars have rendered Fatwas (scholarly juridical rulings based
on Shariah principles) declaring suicide bombings as being totally against the
very tenets of Islam. Dr. Tahir ul Qadri, a Canadian based cleric of Pakistani
origin`s 500 page Fatwa against suicide bombings in 2010 springs to mind.
9 Great War for the liberation of Raqqa begins (2017)Hawar News Agency. 6
June 2017. View also Swinford, Steven (2017)Operation Raqqa: British RAF
pilots to switch bombing raids to the heart of Isil.The Daily Telegraph.16
January2017.
Essays
S. Mushfiq Murshed*
Any way one looks at it, North Korea fits the profile of a country
with a high probability of using chemical and biological weapons. A
micro-glimpse of this was revealed in Malaysia when VX was used to
assassinate Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader,
Kim Jong-Un. The use of this chemical in a crowded international
airport clearly displays, yet another despotic regimes disregard for the
consequences of exposing the general public to such weapons.
In 2013, Syria filed its papers and became a signatory of the CWC.
Even Russia, its longstanding ally, could not help. International outrage
over the Syrian governments use of chemical weapons against rebel
groups clearly illustrated that any strategy that provides space for
chemical or biological weapons in a countrys arsenal is flawed and will
not be tolerated. Despite this, chemical weapons were used yet again
by Bashar Al-Assad in April 2017. The Russians, due to their constant
support to the Assad regime have led many to believe that they were
complicit in these disgraceful attacks.
In North Koreas case, China remains the sole country that has
any measurable influence. In a paper titled, The China-North Korea
Relationship published by the Council on Foreign Relations, Eleanor
Albert states, China provides North Korea with most of its food and
energy supplies and accounts for upwards of 90 percent of North Koreas
total trade volume. Conversely, Chinas purchases from its neighbor
include minerals, seafood, and manufactured garments. In the first
quarter of 2017, ChinaNorth Korea trade was up 37.4 percent from the
same period in 2016.
Khalid Saleem *
PART I.
In order to better understand the OIC and what it stands for, it will be
necessary to look over the shoulder and spare a thought over its origins.
The Organization had its nascent beginning in 1969, in an epoch when
the Muslim World was already in a state of sixes and sevens. The First
Islamic Summit Conference was convened in Rabat in the month of
September of that year in the aftermath of an abortive arson attack on
the Al-Aqsa mosque in Al-Quds al Sharif in occupied Palestine. It is a
moot question whether this summit could have met at all had the arson
attack not roused strong feelings all over the Muslim world, but that is
another story.
- The Saudi Arabians and some Gulf States wished to assert the
clout conferred on them due to the vast deposits of black gold
in their territories.
What took place after the Conference was convened left its mark
on the assembly. The host King Hassan of Morocco backed, among
others, by King Feisal of Saudi Arabia and King Hussein of Jordan
proposed that India be invited to join the Summit. Inexplicably, there
was no reservation from Pakistans side and the proposal was approved
by acclamation. Indias plaque appeared and the Indian Ambassador to
Morocco incidentally a Sikh joined the proceedings. He attended till
the meeting rose for the day late at night. Quite out of the blue, the next
morning, the Pakistan delegation conveyed its decision to boycott the
proceedings unless the Indian delegate was removed. The day was lost
in wrangling and recriminations. Ultimately, the proceedings resumed
The aforementioned are the bare facts. What went on behind the
scenes is not public knowledge. The late Mr. Agha Shahi who was
a member of the Pakistan delegation at Rabat - could have shed some
light on this mystery. It is a pity that he chose not to do so. This incident
is mentioned merely to elucidate that the initiating Conference did not
have a smooth sailing.
PART II.
The Charter of the OIC that governed the conduct of the Organization
and also the Rules of Business had several incongruities that have
impeded smooth sailing over the years. Some of these are:
The OIC has not distinguished itself in either fighting for Islamic
causes or, in deed, in living up to its ideals. The first thing that strikes an
impartial observer is the bizarre facelessness of the OIC. In other words,
there is a total absence of a recognizable visage of the Organization
- one that was intended to put Islamic Identity on the world map. An
international organization is recognized through its successes. OIC has
none to boast of. Ask any citizen of a Muslim state about the OIC and
chances are that you will draw a blank. In the city of Jeddah that houses
the Headquarters of the General Secretariat, barely a handful of persons,
if that, even know of its existence. If a visitor were to land in Jeddah and
engage a Taxi to go to the OIC Headquarters, chances are that he may at
best be driven to the building of the Islamic Development Bank.
What makes matters worse is that these are not normal times,
particularly in so far as the Muslim World is concerned. The Muslim
World (Ummah?) is living through a daunting period of tribulation and
crises over the past decade and more. Islam and Muslims across the
world have been singularly targeted and maligned. What a pity then
that, far from realizing the gravity of the state of affairs, the OIC a
body with a membership of some 57 countries as well as its member
states appear to be content with playing ducks and drakes with local and
regional issues that have long lost their relevance.
The issues of life and death that face the Muslim World today
are being conveniently brushed under the proverbial rug. It is about
time that the member states of the OIC woke up to the realization that
mere adoption of innocuous resolutions does not absolve them of their
responsibilities. Actions speak louder than words, be they cover endless
sheets of parchment.
CASE STUDY
The above mentioned editorials in the Saudi Gazette are a must read
for the researcher.
Tailpiece I
The brave talk of revitalizing the OIC some years back caused
a mild flutter and did generate a hope of sorts. A council of eminent
persons was conjured up to formulate a set of changes in an effort to
bring the organization in line with the demands of the times. Despite
the time, effort (and not inconsiderable investment) expended on this
exercise, the end result was no different from other ministrations of
the OIC.
Tailpiece - II
A word about the role of the OIC vis--vis the Jammu and Kashmir
issue may be in order. Despite the hullabaloo in our media, OICs role
has been limited to an innocuous resolution, coupled with a wishy-
washy contact group. Neither is of much consequence. Much has been
made about the fact that the Secretary General had designated a Special
Representative on Jammu and Kashmir. Each year it is announced that
the Special Representative has once again been denied a visa by the
Indian government and there the matter rests. The standard resolution
is duly adopted by consensus, rejected by India, and forgotten by all.
No prizes for guessing why India has conveniently got away with its
negative attitude for so long.
Tailpiece III
The question that presents itself; begging for an answer is: what sort
of future can the OIC and the Muslim Ummah look forward to, given
the omens?
The facts speak for themselves, though. The OIC hardly appears to
have any future prospects not for the Muslim World anyway. It will
not be allowed to die out, however. The powers-that-be find its existence
useful for their selfish ends. They will not allow the OIC to die: they find
it expedient to let it live, albeit on a respirator.
SHANGHAI COOPERATION
ORGANIZATION COMES OF AGE
M Saeed Khalid*
The Shanghai Five was launched on 26 April 1996 with the signing
of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in border Regions by the heads
of state of China, Russia and three central asian states of Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. A year later, the Shanghai Five signed
the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions. At the
Dushanbe summit in 2000, the members agreed to oppose intervention
in other countries internal affairs on the pretext of protecting human
rights or humanitarianism. They also committed to support the efforts
of each other in safeguarding their national independence, sovereignty,
territorial integrity and social stability.
Proceeding from the Shanghai Spirit, the SCO pursues its internal
policy based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality,
mutual consultations, respect for cultural diversity, and a desire
for common development, while its external policy is conducted in
accordance with the principles of non-alignment, non-targeting any
third country, and openness.
In his address at the summit, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lauded the
SCOs contribution to regional stability, and described it as a powerful
platform to promote peace, build trust and spur economic development
for shared prosperity. He said the organization helps to combat terrorism,
reduce arms race, eliminate poverty, fight epidemics, deal with natural
disasters, tackle climate change, and ensure water security.
The member states have agreed to take all necessary steps for strict
border management. They will regularly hold military exercises along
their border regions to check arms smuggling and monitor activities of
militant organizations. An exercise conducted by Chinese and Kyrgyz
forces along their border in June 2017 was observed by representatives
from all SCO countries. China has been deeply concerned about the
threat from militant separatists, in particular from the East Turkestan
Islamic Movement. The recent exercise saw simulated actions by
helicopters, armored jeeps and 700 border police officers from the
neighboring countries in Xinjiangs Kyrgyz prefecture.
While Mr. Modi was attending the SCO summit with India joining
the organization as a full member, the countrys army chief claimed that
his forces could deal with China and Pakistan at the same time. Gen
Bipin Rawat blamed Pakistan for stoking unrest in Indian Held Kashmir,
but believed that the situation there would normalize soon. He said India
was on course to keep pace with Chinas defence modernization. Indias
belligerence toward China and Pakistan casts further doubts about New
Delhis real intentions in making a positive contribution to the SCOs
goals of peaceful good neighborly relations among the member states.
Indian Express noted that the SCO provided a rare occasion for
India and Pakistan to take part in a joint military exercise. The Astana
Some in India claim that the SCO is both a threat and an opportunity
but Indias joining is imperative if only to prevent Pakistan and China
from making SCO a platform for a one-way discourse on Kashmir.
C Raja Mohan wrote that India could shape its SCO strategy in
three ways: to prevent Pakistan and China ambushing Delhi on the
Kashmir question; intensify engagement with Central Asian states; and
seize potential shifts in SCO politics over the long term keeping a low
profile for now.
Conclusion
Fauzia Nasreen*
Introduction
Paradigm shifts in the global and regional orders since the end of the
Cold War have seen new alignments in different important regions of
the world. These changes are on-going as the world continues to witness
re-crafting of interests of various powers and actors. The emergence
of Central Asian states, rising power of China, reassertion of Russia
in world politics, the intense conflict in the Middle East as well as
growing geopolitical significance of Asia have had a deep influence on
the redefining of objectives and goals of states both in the regional and
global contexts. However, the continuity and change manifest within
the world order is embedded in geo-economics in which resources,
markets, multinationals and financial architecture exercise dominant
influence over state behaviour. Among the security challenges for the
last few decades terrorism and extremism have dominated geopolitics.
The very concept of the Westphalia state system has come under
stress as Daesh (Islamic State) claims to fight for establishing a cross-
boundary Pan-Islamic caliphate unleashing the wave of sectarianism. It
would be too simplistic to seek explanation in the sectarian divide alone.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its populist ideology3 have also irked
countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE. Further complicating the
situation is Hamas, an affiliate of Brotherhood being espoused by Qatar
and Turkey4 and their closer ties with Iran. Ironically, President Trumps
May 20-24, visit to the Middle East instead of uniting the Islamic world
against terrorism, has fuelled more discord and fractured the semblance
of unity among the GCC countries. For Pakistan, these developments
pose diplomatic and relationship challenges with countries in West Asia
starting from Iran to Saudi Arabia and its allies and Qatar. Afghanistans
tilt, for obvious reasons, will have to be towards the US inclinations
References:
1. Henry Kissinger, World order: Reflections on the Character of Nations and the
Course of History, Allen Lane, 2014
2. Munir Akram, A Dark Age Dawn, 11 June 2017
3. Zamir Akram, Trump and South Asia, The Express Tribune, 4 July 2017
4. Stephen Sestanovich, Be Wary of Ptuins Syria Plna, New York Times, 13
May 2017
5. M. Ziauddin, Chinas Case for Joining CPEC, The Express Tribune, 13 May
2017
6. Vijay Prasahd, Indias Iran Policy: Between US Primacy and Regionalism,
Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, November 2013
7. COAS to US general: Blame game hurting Pakistans terror fight, The Express
Tribune, 27 July 2017
Javid Husain*
* The writer is a former ambassador and the president of the Lahore Council
for World Affairs. This essay is an adapted version of Chapter 2 of his book,
Pakistan and a World in Disorder---A Grand Strategy for the Twenty-First
Century, which was recently published by Palgrave Macmillan from New York.
The end of the Cold War generated unrealistic hopes of a new world
order based on justice, fair play, and the principles of the UN Charter
and international law. Later events belied these hopes as realpolitik
prevailed upon idealism in the US foreign policy and the foreign
policies of other major world powers. Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union, the US emerged as the sole superpower. It was inevitable
that the US would use the unipolarity for establishing and strengthening
its global hegemony. An important Pentagon planning document leaked
to the press in 1992 had the following to say on the overarching US
strategic goal in the post-Cold War global scenario: Our first objective
is to prevent the reemergence of a new rival..that poses a threat on the
order of that posed formerly by the Soviet UnionOur strategy must
now focus on precluding the emergence of any potential future global
competitor.1 However, the US-dominated unipolarity proved to be a
short-lived phenomenon. Washingtons drive for global hegemony was
soon challenged by emerging powers.
Fourth, justice and fair play have been the least of the considerations
guiding the conduct of the major world powers in dealing with external
affairs. The denial of justice to the Palestinians and the Kashmiris in their
struggle for independence from the military occupation of Israel and
India respectively substantiates this tendency. With the growing world
disorder, this trend is likely to gather strength and realpolitik would
trump idealism in the foreseeable future. Finally, major world powers
have generally failed to rise above narrow national considerations in
disregard of the progress and welfare of mankind at large, especially
in dealing with such global issues as climate change and international
trade. President Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris accord
on climate change is the latest instance of ignoring the interests of the
international community as a whole. In view of all of these factors,
disorder rather than order and realpolitik rather than principles would
increasingly characterize international relations in the foreseeable
future. This would be especially true in the consideration of strategically
important security issues.
Clash of Civilizations
Samuel Huntington put forward the thesis in his article The Clash
of Civilizations?4 that the central and the most dangerous dimension
of the emerging politics would be conflict between groups from different
civilizations. The point was elaborated later in his book, The Clash of
Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order, published in 1996.5
The thesis that clashes between civilizations would be the greatest threat
to world peace in the post-Cold War world undoubtedly has some validity
as a close analysis of the Bosnian crisis, the Palestinian issue and the
Kashmir dispute would reveal. Some of the ideas and policies supported
by President Trump and neocons also substantiate Huntingtons thesis.
There is no doubt that cultural self-identity which leads to identifying
others as enemies is a powerful driving force behind many important
developments in contemporary global politics. It, therefore, helps in
understanding international politics as it is rather than as it ought to
be. However, Huntingtons prognosis of global politics may be too
deterministic as it underestimates the importance of universalistic
ideas, tendencies, and developments in international politics as part of
the process of globalization and as propagated by great religions and
philosophers with emphasis on human brotherhood and the common
destiny of mankind. Further, the danger is that Huntingtons thesis may
become the basis of encouraging policies that ignite or aggravate inter-
civilizational conflicts with catastrophic consequences for mankind.
Huntingtons thesis, therefore, carries the risk of self-fulfilling prophecy.
The US emerged as the sole super power with global reach at the
end of the Cold War. However, in retrospect this development proved to
be a unipolar moment in the onward march of human history. There is
no doubt that the US still remains the most powerful state in the world
in military terms. Its military expenditure, estimated to be over US$ 600
billion, surpasses by far the military expenditure of other great powers.
No other country, including China, comes even close to the US annual
military expenditure. The US also enjoys a formidable lead over other
countries in military technology, the sophistication and effectiveness of
its weapons and military equipment, and the global reach of its military
forces.
Even if one takes into account the enormous advantage that the
US enjoys in soft power and the addition to its strength because of its
network of alliances in different parts of the world, the overall long-term
trend is toward a multipolar world in the twenty-first century. Other
poles besides the US such as China, the EU, Japan, India, Russia, South
Korea, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Turkey will play an increasingly
important role in international politics in the years to come because of
their high levels of economic development and the increase in their
military capabilities. There will be a corresponding decline in the overall
relative power and influence of the US, particularly in the second half
of the current century.
Conclusion
References:
1. Excerpts from Pentagons Plan: Prevent the Re-Emergence of a New Rival,
The New York Times, 8 March 1992.
2. Francis Fukuyama, The End of History?, The National Interest, no. 16, Summer
1989, pp. 3-18; Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man (New
York, NY: Avon Books, 1992), p.xi
3. John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, The State of the State---The Global
Contest for the Future of Government, Foreign affairs, July-August, 2014 issue.
4. Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs, Summer
1993 issue
5. Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World
Order, (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1997)
6. World Economic Outlook Database, IMF, 18 April, 2017
7. Ibid.
8. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The BRICS and Beyond: Prospects, Challenges
and Opportunities, World in 2050, January, 2013
9. Report for Selected Country Groups and Subjects (PPP valuation of country
GDP), IMF, April 2017
10. John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, (New York, NY:
WW Norton & Company, 2001)
11. Henry Kissinger, World Order (New York, NY: Penguin Press, 2014), p.313
12. Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (New York, NY: Vintage
Random House, 1987), p. xxii