By Murtaza Haider, Ph.D. Associate Dean of research and graduate programs at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto.
——
Several policy-makers, politicians, and development professionals in the west believe that the economic survival of Pakistan rests on handouts from the United States. Often American legislators ridicule Pakistan for willingly accepting American dollars in charity, but not delivering on American demands in return.
The Westerners are not alone in believing that Pakistan’s survival rests on handouts from the US. While speaking on Canadian TV earlier this week, Raheel Raza, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, argued the same. “Ever since the inception of Pakistan the United States has given Pakistan aid without which it cannot survive,” said Ms. Raza.
The US economic and military assistance to Pakistan indeed has a long history stretched over decades during which several American governments have poured billions of dollars into Pakistan. The question, however, is to determine first why Americans aided Pakistan and second what was the money intended for. And even more importantly, one should determine if indeed Pakistan’s economic survival rests on American aid.
The British newspaper Guardian maintains an active database documenting six decades of American aid to Pakistan. The data is compiled by Wren Elhai of the Center for Global Development in Washington, DC. The database reveals that since 1948 the US assistance to Pakistan has largely been for civilian purposes. Of the $61.7 billion in total assistance (in constant 2009 dollars) provided to Pakistan between 1948 and 2010, $40.4 billion were provided for economic assistance and $21.3 billion in military assistance. The economic assistance to Pakistan peaked in the early 60s when in excess of $2 billion annually were provided to Pakistan. (Complete article)
I hope you all read this article in it’s entirety!
Naseer & Shahab - Za Pukhtoon Yam
I am not very fond of “ethnic nationalism” but this is first of all very catchy, secondly it has a point which is dear to my heart as it breaks the stereotypes against Pakhtun (esp given war in Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan), and finally it has beautiful lyrics!
The enemy brands it as a language of hell,
To heaven I will go with Pashto. (Ameer Hamza Shinwari)
Skydiver Felix Baumgartner to jump from 36km above sea level!
The mission, Red Bull Stratos, will take renowned athlete Felix Baumgartner to at least 120,000 feet above the earth, to the very edge of Space.
From there, he will attempt a stratospheric free fall jump - the longest in the history of man - and hopefully will become the first human to break the speed of sound with his own body.
Something which is just simply beyond awesome. (Official Red Bull Stratos website / for a BBC news item)
…in Asia we live within our means. So when we are poor, we live as poor people. I think that is a lesson that Europe can learn from Asia…You refuse to acknowledge you have lost money and therefore you are poor…And you can’t remedy that by printing money. Money is not something you just print. It must be backed by something, either good economy or gold.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian Prime Minister’s tough message to Europe. (Complete news)
I’m beating myself up for just seeing this, but regardless I’m fuming at two things.
A. the US cover choice (obviously)
The US edition of TIME always has a bad rep for picking its covers. Regardless, this is just the worst for me. I mean let’s just not share (for once!!!) non-degrading news on a nation that we’re always ready to mudsling at. Come on, man! Sure we’ll bring Pakistan up in the news when we’re discussing our issues with giving them aid, sure we’ll bring them up when they’re “the newest Taliban” hub, and sure we’ll bring up Pakistan when we decide to start spreading the blame on those NATO attacks (don’t even get me started). BUT when one of the nation’s biggest cities is on its way to becoming the target killing version of Juárez, we’ll politely decline. I could go on and on, but this is basically pretty self explanatory.
B. the TIME article
I have issues with the article because third world shaming is always me in full on hate mode, but there’s a really great response that I’m going to reblog after this. My actual issue is the date of this article. This is the January 16, 2011 issue. The target killings were at a peak during July/August 2011 (and actually accounted to more than 344 deaths). Granted, Karachi’s violence is still at an all time high and the city is in a general upheaval. So my biggest irk, maybe even greater than the infamous US cover change, is the timing of this article. Why wasn’t this covered when people were actually legitimately afraid of even walking outside of their homes for an entire month? I just feel like this story at that time would have done so much in terms of people actually knowing what the current state was, as opposed to hearing about the returning tide.
My add: Had to reblog! And here is another interesting share on the same story on Tumblr: An Australian’s REBUTTAL to TIME Magazine’s story on Karachi.
Disturbing development at Twitter: countries will silence tweets
(via reuters)
My add: Good job, twitter! Remind me how I am supposed to not think that your “high morals” are only for Iran, Egypt and Syria!?
(via soupsoup)
TedTalks: Moral psychology and the its matrix.
(via zushan)
From video: Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we’re left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.
My add: This is what I am going to refer anyone who asks me again, what I really believe in or why I am (kind of) a Centrist?
The superior man comprehended righteousness; the small man comprehends gain.
Analects of Confucius, 4:16
BBC: Swiss ‘contract children’ speak out
A dark chapter of Swiss history is getting increased attention, with the release of a feature film about “Verdingkinder” or “contract children” and an exhibition about them which is touring the country. (complete article / video report)
Photo credits: Verdingkinder, Historisches Museum, ab 4. Dezember Foto: Paul Senn
BBC: Inside story of the UK’s secret mission to beat Gaddafi (By Mark Urban)
British efforts to help topple Colonel Gaddafi were not limited to air strikes. On the ground - and on the quiet - special forces soldiers were blending in with rebel fighters. This is the previously untold account of the crucial part they played. (complete article)
- January 19
- , 2012
Pakistan must end its policy of killings and kidnappings of Baloch people and recognise the importance of the region.
by Akbar Ahmed (Ambassador Akbar Ahmed is currently the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington).
——
My comments to Prof Akbar for whom I have tremendous amount of respect and admiration (as posted under the article):
Prof Akbar, I have tremendous amount of respect for you - I still remember as a kid watching Jinnah in cinema and feeling proud and grounded in the realities we would not have otherwise seen in our “history books”. Also you humanised Jinnah in a beautiful way for which I shall always remain thankful.
However here I have a disagreement with you, or rather a complaint. No one in their right mind would ever dare disagree that Pakistan as a State and Pakistanis as a Nation have failed Balochistan. But don’t you think in name of neutrality this article should have mentioned countless hardworking non-Baloch who have been murdered in cold blood in Balochistan while serving the ordinary Baloch to raise the level of services to them which you raised concern for?
I wish Malik Siraj would have mentioned how my family living in Balochistan for a good hundred year was forced out after repeated threats in 60s. Or how lately young kids playing cricket have been killed, or that Balochistan University Vice-Chancellor, or that private school’s Principle, or that female University professor, or those labourers whose bodies were found with their hands tied behind their back were all murdered just because of being non-Baloch even though they were directly contributing to the Balochi people.
There are fortunately always two sides of a coin.
You people clothe non-living things while in Balochistan a common man lives without proper clothing!
Vasu from Shahzad Roy’s new song (complete interview)
With the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and the even more puritanical Salafist Al Nour Party having stunned both themselves and Egyptians by garnering more than 60 percent of the seats in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, we’re about to see a unique lab test for the Middle East: What happens when political Islam has to wrestle with modernity and globalization without oil?
Islamist movements have long dominated Iran and Saudi Arabia. Both the ayatollahs in Iran and the Wahhabi Salafists in Saudi Arabia, though, were able to have their ideology and the fruits of modernity, too, because they had vast oil wealth to buy off any contradictions. Saudi Arabia could underutilize its women and impose strict religious mores on its society, banks and schools. Iran’s clerics could snub the world, pursue nuclearization and impose heavy political and religious restrictions. And both could still offer their people improved living standards, because they had oil. (Complete article)
Sitting out in Sun reading “Marxism and other Western Fallacies” by the great Persian philosopher Ali Shari’ati. Am only few pages in but am really enjoying myself. This is also by the way a prime example of highly intelligent literature published posthumous with a completely retarded preface. I have never read a more horrendous apology for Iran’s Islamic revolution and the excesses they committed shortly being in power. (mobile)
- January 7
- , 2012
Misunderstood’ Mughal princes discussed
Lives of two Mughal princes, whose character sketches have been distorted by historians, their relations, religious views and a bitter struggle over political control of the culturally and economically rich empire, were explored at a programme attended by a small gathering of people on Wednesday evening.
Dara Shikoh, heir apparent of Emperor Shah Jahan, and his younger brother, Aurangzeb, were the central figures of the interesting discourse, New perspectives on the Mughals: the case of Dara Shikoh , held at T2F. (complete news)
my add: I wish they had at least posted a video of the proceeding online. If you are interested in the politics of Pakistan and South Asia, particularly with the Religious dynamics and history - you will enjoy reading this piece and perhaps will find pointers on what to read next.
Though a heir apparent of Emperor Shah Jahan, he was sidelined by his younger brother Emperor Aurangzaib by a mixture of superior military strategy and using Religion as his tool. Dara (taken from Persian Darius) with his unorthodox mystical religious views and artistic sensibilities proved no match for his younger brother, finding himself in clutches of death as an Apostate and a Mutineer. Our history went on to ignore vital details (something we continue till today) painting younger brother in golden colours while literally forgetting the older Dara.
History later shows how Aurangzaib who took the reigns in name of religion unlike his predecessors retorted to course of actions never seen before; causing the rift with Sikhs (wars with Sikhs, some even link this to the eventual blood bath of refugees on both side in 1947) and Hindus. This sometime is seen as a public outlook to appease those who supported him against his brother, because on other hand he kept on increasing number of Hindus in Administrative roles and kept on helping Hindus and Sikhs build religious temples or expand them.
