And so we believed that President Obama would change the world. And so we believed that somehow the Messiah had arrived that would heal the wounds of the world. Yet with every step, more innocent women, children and men, civilians from all walks of life are dying wherever American troops are present. Pakistan is now embroiled in a terrorist insurgency from which there seems to be no way out. And while America Politicians debate and argue about what to do, more people die everyday.
I am not saying that President Obama does not mean well. But I think like all people in the US, there is little understanding of other cultures. It is not enough to be open and empathetic to other cultures. It is really really important to understand it by not assuming that your own systems and governments, or even your own system of Democracy is not the only relevant system in the world. Islamic democracy is not the same as Western democracy. It never will be.
And you cannot wipe out the Al Queda or the Taliban by military force. You may be able to contain it, but as Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan is proving again and again, it cannot be wiped out and the continuing policy of using western troops on Islamic soil provides the most fertile ground for recruitment of young people into terrorist organizations.
Neither Al Quaida nor the Taliban is a single organization. It as an idea that brings people together in amorphous ways that are created and and destroyed but are immediately created again. How do you destroy an idea ? By striking at the root cause that partly lies in the disposessed of the world. Those without hope. The world cannot continue to survive with such huge disparity with as one part of the world continues to get fat and the other starves.
I had said previously on this blog that Pakistan is going to be Obama’s Vietnam if we are not careful. The US must learn to follow a policy that is comprehensive and long term. They cannot create and arm a huge disparate force called the Taliban to fight the Russians, corrupt the Pakistan Army by sending them huge amounts of cash and arms to supply to the Taliban, and then suddenly pull the plug and assume that everything be normal ? Centuries of power play between the Western powers in Afghanistan has ensured that the country has not been able to evolve into a common culture with a comprehensive and central system of government. It remains a tribal culture that has always been difficult to contain.
And as the world’s super powers decide what to do and look at their options, hundreds of innocents die because of their indecision or their meddling. Sure, their have been no terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11. The war has merely moved to other places where the US has sent their troops. So hundreds of people from others cultures die.
Oh well, they are not American lives, are they ?
Have been shaken by the unending attacks.
The man on the street, as you said.
Ordinarily not a sympathizer of that country.
Horrible.
“The world cannot continue to survive with such huge disparity with as one part of the world continues to get fat and the other starves.”
You mentioned it right Shekhar, Your these lines are the correct diagnosis for most of the problems in this world.
Sanjay
Very well said
Thought provoking !
Any solution !
We need a world leader
with a differnet approach
like “Lord Shiva” ?
And to understand Shiva, his role and how he created, managed the world, you have to know him in details not by what you have heard until now …
Do we have any !?!?!?!?!?!?
Shekhar, what should Obama do? What should the Pakistan govt do? Any suggestions or ideas?
Pakistan invited this upon themselves. After years of playing with fire, they are now getting burnt. Burn baby burn I say. Wake up Pakistani moderates, and smell the burning flesh. For years you were too far away to realize the loss of life in India at the hands of the ISI, now it’s the flesh of your own brothers and sisters. Think about all the lost lives of Indians all these years as you bury your dead.
Shekhar, how fair is to blame the US entirely. Sure enough America’s past mistakes have resulted in the current mess in Afghanistan or Pakistan for that matter. However, every country including india has to/ can do much more to help eradicate terrorism. If Obama can influence 200 million people and rest of the world with his speeches, surely Manmohan Singh could do the same. Why can’t Manmohan Singh stan up and deliver a speech to Pakistanis and send a message across the border that India have no role in the either creation or strengthening of Taliban, it is the politicians and the army who have to get their act together. See what is happening now in Pakistan, each day the opportunistic politicians are shouting and blaming India for everything that is happening in Pakistan. Why can’t we send a strong and honest message. We speak the same language after all.
Is that too nationalistic of me to say that ?
Mr Kapur,
As an American, after reading that post, you made me feel very uncomfortable. Everything you stated was absolutely correct. Keep it up.
Best wishes to you all.
Why don’t you be more realistic and use your influence to spread the awareness required to identify the grave threats to India from China and Pakistan instead of criticizing the US. Because if these mongrels succeed in their plans to divide and rule India once again, India will have the same fate as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. and a majority of middle/higher class Indians will have to flee as refugees and let the low level maoists and islamic fundamentalists take control.
Why do you have so much undue praise for Chinese such as during their synthetic olympic display, while criticizing the US which has only now found a somewhat efficient leader in Obama? There are grave threats to India from China, and the pseudo-secularists of India need to wake up before its too late.
Anger is never without an argument, but seldom with a good one.
Shekhar,
What are your thoughts on the Pak-bashing that Hillary Clinton did today?
Can we start with our country first? in this day and age we have people dictating terms as to which language should be used on sign boards, movies etc and surprise we have to listen because the government is too weak to stand up.so either listen or be prepared for aggression which includes breaking shops or restaurants or whatever facility it is that is under fire. The riots that divided us was based on religion – building a house of worship where another existed – how ridiculous that sounds. No time is spent on serious issues like healthcare which is almost non existent for the poor or education or even infrastructure but there is enough time to lecture on religion and use means to propagate division on religious basis? what do you do? its a mentality, a baggage which refuses to be shed. I have heard educated people talk with such hate about religions other than their own so how do you explain to someone who is not educated and is brought up with ideas like these right from birth.on the other hand we have certain religions that have caused havoc and terror around the world including our country so is it unfair to say that some people will be biased and that they will learn to hate or avoid people of ‘certain’ religions? you can only forgive so many times.
Yes indeed,you have put your finger on the right spot. When GWB made that “for us or against us” he was exhibiting a very simplistic,almost childish mindset,imagining the world to be filled with good guys and bad guys only (inspired by western movies and his own lifestyle as cowboy ?) He was supremely convinced on being on the side of the good guys and assumed that the good guys all over the world would support him. Similarly, he assumed that the western way of life was wholly acceptable to everyone else in the world (21st century white-man’s burden?). Bush administration’s inability to see a different perspective than its own,its unwillingness accept diversity is what has made the USA’s war horribly wrong.
We could be more considerate towards Obama keeping in view the fact that he has inherited one of the biggest ethical/political/military blunder in history.
crying over spilt milk is no a solution.
still powerful criticisim will hit in the target and indeed we feel ashamed of seeing the repeated us massive military manoeuvres n threats
in the 3rd world and upcoming countries.
We do share the feeling of Mr. Andrew the american, co-reader who commented above.
however, we still hope something good from Mr. Obama.. thanks mr.Shekhar for this post.
Mr Kapur I have been dying to see Passage, since the the Feel Aagaya post. But unfortunately haven’t been able to find out, how.I’m not very sure if its on in theaters in my city(Bangalore). Can you please guide me on that? Or would you mind if I borrow it for the time being (read download illegally) and re watch it at a theater, when I get a chance?
I think it is hilarious that manmohan singh will ever deliver a speech to the pakis, earlier this year he handed a huge opportunity to the BJP; which they capitalized to the hilt; by mentioning the indo-pak joint statement. Come On!!! how naive r we to xpect this from a PM who said that he did not intend to hurt zardari’s feelings and who admitted on national TV that the congress party can/will never look beyond the nehru family.
The US is fighting india’s war in afghan/pak; if kurukshetra uprooted evil from the grass roots then india shd have fought 2 kurukshetras in the 19th century. Soviet union in the 80’s to tell them to layoff their commie asses from the indian sub-continent and ISI in the 90’s from destabilizing india in the name of support to khalistan movement.
We never thought abt taking these 2 steps, instead chose to sit back n watch the fun in the 80’s and the 90’s and now it is our turn to get screwed. The US troops are not going to leave afghan until the remaining 10 % of al-qaeda hiding in pak is destroyed and democracy re-instated. Once the iraq pullout is completed in july 2011 then the focus will be totally on afghan.
Indian/paki/afghan casualties will be there until then and the only way to prevent this from happening is Indian troops shd fight shoulder to shoulder with coalition troops. Is the indian govt even thinking abt this permutation or are we going to take the infamous sit-back-get-screwed stand; yet again?
Nice post Shekhar – but why do you think it is all America’s fault? Do the Pakistani army and political class have nothing to do with it? They accepted the money from the CIA afterall… they invited the foreign fighters from the Middle east – and I know this will make you uncomfortable – the Pakistani’s through their Madarassa’s created the Taliban to take over Afghanistan and the Kashmiri fighters to cleanse the Kashmiri valley of all Pandits.
I always find it funny when Mumbai educated liberal well off “intellectuals” blame everything on the USA (but still enjoy the fruits of American inventions and culture). They sit in their Ivory towers in Andrei West but say nothing about the state sponsered terrorism from the Pakistan and forget about what is really happening in Kashmir.
If you blame the USA for so much, of bringing to ruin a country that you fled as a child ( if you had stayed they would have killed you) then maybe you should not accept any money from the American’s for your next movie and just make movies for the Indian Sub Continent.
Or you can do a bit of digging, learn some history and look at the problems from all sies.
In the end the choice is yours.
I earnestly request brahmastra to answer the childish question that Pratima ji has put forward in this section; these seculars r hell bent upon wearing down Hindutva….
If politicians can stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities – the world will mend for the better.