General Pervez Musharraf!!
Man ,What a life that man has had.I am sure Pakistan is rejoicing his resignation, hoping that there will be a new democracy that will provide better governance,stability etc etc.Is the new Pakistan "Democracy" any better than the "military" Musharraf Rule?Only time will tell.
People will have their own opinions about Musharraf, everybody is going to agree with the fact that Pakistan became economically more stable under his rule.Now, this may be due to billions of dollars he got as "aid" from the USA for partnering them in their "War against Terror".Whatever the reasons may be, he got the economy back on track.
Economic Policies-Success
He swept into power after leading a coup against Nawaz Sharif's government in 1999.In 9 years, he has experienced a high degree of influx of terrorists in the Pakistani tribal areas.He has fought 2 major wars -The 1999 Kargil War and the ongoing war to "cleanse" Pakistan of Taliban .He's failed on both accounts.
Military Policy-Failure
His relationship with the religious heads, the clergies of the Pakistani religious set up, has been one of love hate.He famously supported religious extremism in Pakistan, with the hope that it would help extend his rule.But when the move backfired on him, he stormed the madrassas all over Pakistan.The much publicized storming of the Lal Masjid in Lahore left a bitter taste in the mouth of religious Pakistanis and consequently, he lost their support.
Religious Policy-Failure.
His dismissal of judiciary was the worst move of his presidential career.When the supreme court chief justice(I guess that is Ifthikar Chaudary) took to the streets, Musharraf declared an emergency.He had to pay for this.
Judiciary Handling- Big Failure
The killing of Benazir Bhutto, the imprisonment of Imran Khan, the arrest of Nawaz Sharif showed his intolerance towards his opponents.The "deals " he struck with the tribal elders in the tribal regions wasnt of much help in curbing the Taliban influx into Pakistan.
Political Policy- Failure.
This was Musharraf's report card.1 success and 5 failures!!
But I think unlike other regimes in Pakistan, Indo-Pak relations hit a new high, with bus services and flights being resumed between India and Pakistan.India went on Cricket tours to Pakistan and the Indian common man got to interact with his Pakistani counterpart after a long long time.
His foreign policy was giving total support to the US and trying to mend relationships with India.This suited both the nations, but alas, he only contributed towards his downfall by doing so.
A strange legacy...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Serial Blasts,Olympics,Proxy War,Emerging economies,The most "busy" continent-Asia
Any New York Times edition carries about 16-20 pages of news.The international coverage(read news that interests the US economically and politically) gets around (1/3) rd of the total space, approximately.
I can assure you that around 90% of that space will have Asia news.Asia, the biggest continent in the world has been a poor cousin for many years to the more elite"West" continents , namely Europe and North America.Australia hardly interferes with anything,Africa makes news for all the wrong reasons and nobody lives in Antarctica. Somehow, despite being the biggest continent in the world, having the most number of people in the world , Asia has been a collection of "developing countries", who have been struggling to come to terms with the rapid growth of the "West".
History presented Asia in a very different light though.Some of the most advanced civilizations originated in Asia.Our very own India was a "hotspot" for religious,economic and political development in the ancient world.With the advent of the industrial revolution in the post middle ages, Europe gained a lot of wealth and resources.This led to the process of rapid colonization of the Asian countries, who fell prey to the might of European countries and the internal conflicts in the countries just contributed to the situation.
With many countries gaining independence from the Westerners, a new era has certainly begun in the history of Asia.The focus is certainly on India and to a large extent China.Of course, the turbulent middle east and the situation close to home in Afghanistan has also ensured that Asia has got into the news for the wrong reasons.
Strange as it may sound, Asia started making news for the right reasons due to the middle east in the early period of the 20th Century.The Arab countries, consisting of nomadic tribes at constant loggerheads, suddenly became rich and powerful due to the discovery of oil in the region.One cannot be wronged in saying that this proved to be a double edged sword, ensuring that these countries became the venue of the cold war to gain control over the oil in the region.
The wheel has begun to turn, Asia certainly has the potential to do great things.Its just a question of time before this happens(Provided of course the conflicts in the region are resolved, which is a very tricky proposition).
I can assure you that around 90% of that space will have Asia news.Asia, the biggest continent in the world has been a poor cousin for many years to the more elite"West" continents , namely Europe and North America.Australia hardly interferes with anything,Africa makes news for all the wrong reasons and nobody lives in Antarctica. Somehow, despite being the biggest continent in the world, having the most number of people in the world , Asia has been a collection of "developing countries", who have been struggling to come to terms with the rapid growth of the "West".
History presented Asia in a very different light though.Some of the most advanced civilizations originated in Asia.Our very own India was a "hotspot" for religious,economic and political development in the ancient world.With the advent of the industrial revolution in the post middle ages, Europe gained a lot of wealth and resources.This led to the process of rapid colonization of the Asian countries, who fell prey to the might of European countries and the internal conflicts in the countries just contributed to the situation.
With many countries gaining independence from the Westerners, a new era has certainly begun in the history of Asia.The focus is certainly on India and to a large extent China.Of course, the turbulent middle east and the situation close to home in Afghanistan has also ensured that Asia has got into the news for the wrong reasons.
Strange as it may sound, Asia started making news for the right reasons due to the middle east in the early period of the 20th Century.The Arab countries, consisting of nomadic tribes at constant loggerheads, suddenly became rich and powerful due to the discovery of oil in the region.One cannot be wronged in saying that this proved to be a double edged sword, ensuring that these countries became the venue of the cold war to gain control over the oil in the region.
The wheel has begun to turn, Asia certainly has the potential to do great things.Its just a question of time before this happens(Provided of course the conflicts in the region are resolved, which is a very tricky proposition).
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