South Asia--western infiltration

NATO will help Pakistan. What are the implications--short-term, long-term, political, religious, region-wise, cultural, social, and a host of other interfering local factors contributing to the changing norms?

What should be the role of the masses, and their local and national leaders? Surely the latter are not going to let down their countries and cultures? Begging must have some moral bandwidth.

The first priority of the United States is to look after its own interests, internally and globally. That means, according to one section of world opinion, containing the so-called terrorists who blew up the WTO building in NY. Many think it is an anti-Islamic stance, as the Muslims constitute the second largest group of humans on this earth. If that were not enough, the other reason is the historical background. The Muslims ruled the major parts of the globe centuries ago, for centuries, hence they cannot be discounted as impractical and without experience. The fear of the united Islamic front is bugging the materialistic minds.

Today Islam is divided in splinters. The adversaries must not allow the Muslims to unite--Saddam raised his head in Iraq as the most powerful Islamic military machine in the world (which the US used to her advantage against Iran for many years), but which had to be destroyed now to save Israel or the Jews who are controlling the US policy. Some rich Muslim nations in the ME serve their Western masters, but why Iran, Iraq, Egypt and others were taken to task (in the past and currently), for not toeing the line?

"Globalisation" and "WMD" are propaganda systems for neutralisation of local policy stunts. Now Pakistan will face what Turkey did by joining the European club. To appease India, the perfect alibi is now available: India and Pakistan to start a disarmament programme to raise the development expenditures in poverty alleviation. There is another bait for mighty India: a US base for US products and services for marketing in vast Asia--a counterbalance to cheap products from China, another billion-population country in Asia. Surely the China watchers are busy analysing the fall-outs.

Plainly, it is the materialistic approach to rich dollars--capture the potential markets, specially the energy sectors. How Bangladesh will escape the western chase after her gas reserves? The Indian regime in New Delhi is realising day by day the future implications of the policies of the rich industrialised countries.

There is a message for the squabbling political parties in Dhaka--unite at the basic foundation level to improve the political culture, or get swallowed up or be disintegrated by foreign hawks. The anti-Ahmaddiya movement in Bangladesh is an old strategy in new package. The old styles of politics cannot run India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. A new type of political leadership is needed, hence this internal struggle will last for some time.

The SAARC concept has to be reviewed and modernised to run our own region without undue foreign interference. The writing is on the wall, but not for the political illiterates!