LETTERS – DEC 2024
Philosophy of politics
Dear Sir
Thank you to both Asian Affairs and The Democracy Forum for the insightful seminar, and subsequent reportage, on the subject of whether or not Pakistan can survive without military control (‘Survival or downfall?’, November issue).
So much was unpacked in this enlightening discussion, from thoughts on the militarisation of Pakistan’s political class and how this has always prioritised national security over economic and social development, to the challenges mounted by the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Balochistan.
But of particular interest to this viewer/reader were two points: Dr Farzana Shaikh’s perceptive comments on the erroneous view by the West that Pakistan is ‘too important to fail’, and MJ Akbar’s wise assertion that Pakistan was born out of the misplaced idea that religion can be the basis of a modern nation state. While all points raised were thought-provoking and based on the participants’ vast knowledge of their subject, it was these two that lent a philosophical and slightly off-piste slant to this political theme of the debate and led to thoughts on the very nature of statehood and what informs it.
Puja Liard
Mumbai
Undiplomatic diplomat
Yvonne Gill’s excellent article ‘Appeasing the dragon’ (November issue) underscored the souring, at least to some extent, of the relationship between Nepal and China, even as Nepal attempts to balance its need for a good rapport with both of its powerful neighbours, China and India.
A case in point, which Gill touched upon, was the public mockery by Chen Song, China’s Ambassador to Nepal, regarding Nepal’s efforts to locate two missing buses and their passengers following a landslide at Simaltal on the Narayanghat-Mugling road. Chen’s comments specifically targeted assistance given by India to local rescue and search teams, which seemed to pour scorn on Nepal’s tendency to seek support from New Delhi.
This is wrong on various levels.
First, it was hugely insensitive to the families of those who were missing, presumed dead. Secondly, it was inappropriate for a high-ranking diplomat to be so unprofessionally flippant, and to intrude into what was a purely domestic situation for Nepal. Thirdly, as Gill suggests, the incident is part of a broader pattern of interference by Chen in Nepal’s internal affairs, which most often involves digs at neighbouring India.
Of course, Nepal’s new government has a duty to leverage investment and political support, including from China, whilst, as Gill argues, ‘ensuring that future projects are financially viable and aligned with the country’s… developmental needs’. The country must keep its own economic and other interests, including its friendship with India, at the top of the agenda, for the sake of national well-being and regional stability.
RT Krishna
Ahmedabad
NATO in a new era
Brilliant and nuanced analysis in your October Editorial of NATO, if/how it could join with Indo-Pacific nations to face up to current security challenges, and the challenges of that potential collaboration, based on cultural and other differences. The writer has a very clear and in-depth understanding of how an ever more interconnected world and its balance of power have changed, and those who govern cannot afford to ignore this.
Ben Brodie
Zurich, Switzerland
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