How Pakistan can increase its power, and its relation to international politics

[H. Dawary]

A policy maker seeks either to keep power (1)... to increase its power (2)... to demonstrate its power (3). I will come back to these points later.

What do all great powers have in common... (1), A Nuclear arsenal, (2) large territories, (3) sizeable population, and (4) Spheres of influences.

The projected great powers of the future are said to be (1) USA, (2) China, (3) Russia, (4) India, (5) The EU. All these 5 nations (counting EU as one too) have the above 4 mentioned requirements.

Where does Pakistan fit in all of this? Pakistan has two of the above mentioned requirements (1) A nuclear arsenal and (3) A sizeable population, but it is missing (2) and (4). Canada for example, only possesses requirement (2), whereas North Korea only possesses requirement (1), Pakistan in its current state can only hope to be a semi power.

That begs the question as to how Pakistan can fulfil the other two requirements? And what will happen should it not pursue to become a major power?

Pakistan can fulfil requirement (2) by merging with Afghanistan thereby having that large territory, and fulfil requirement (4) by extending its range of influence into the Central Asian republics thereby challenging Russia.

Pakistan in its current state maintains a status quo, which is, seeking to keep power. "Domestic and international politics are by two different manifestations of the same phenomenon: the struggle for power... All nations are either preparing for, actively involved in, or are recovering from violence in the form of war" -Hans... The difference between domestic politics and international politics is separated by the thread of revolution on one hand and war on the other. All nations go through these phases of power struggles within and without.

Pakistan has demonstrated its power in Afghanistan by supporting those parties that are aligned to them of which they share a common interest, which is religion, however it has failed to increase its power due to the reason that it has not adopted those same values of the parties that it supports, which puts it in a quagmire of either keeping power (maintaining status quo) or increasing its power, which is to distribute power to those that are aligned in its policy, much like the Soviet Union which supported the Communist Cuban revolution, and other failed revolution in the Americas such as Grenada and Nicaragua. Unlike the Soviets, Pakistan has not completely adopted its own values for the struggle of power, while it has on the other hand come out as a staunch defender and strong supporter of those values which it supports.

@Pan-Islamic-Pakistan @Slav Defence @Sine Nomine @Ace of Spades @Psychic @Rusty

 

[truthseeker2010]

One word Economy!

 

[Rusty]

In the words of Bill Clinton
"Its the Economy Stupid"

No great nation can be great or stay great without an economy.

Problem is that to have a great economy in the modern world we need to innovate. There is no great economy that does not innovate.
How do we innovate?
By its very definition, innovation is to be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.
Which Pakistanis, especially conservatives, seem to refuse to do.
So we will never be a great nation until people stop wanting to live in the medieval ages and start to realize we are in 2020, not 1020.

 

[Yankee-stani]

As long as Pakistani leadership views renting its sphere to other powers it will stay as stagnant regional power Afghanistan is probably gonna be increasingly under China's boot with Pakistan,Russia via the CARs and Iran serving as junior partners

 

[H. Dawary]

In the words of Bill Clinton
"Its the Economy Stupid"

No great nation can be great or stay great without an economy.

Problem is that to have a great economy in the modern world we need to innovate. There is no great economy that does not innovate.
How do we innovate?
By its very definition, innovation is to be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.
Which Pakistanis, especially conservatives, seem to refuse to do.
So we will never be a great nation until people stop wanting to live in the medieval ages and start to realize we are in 2020, not 1020.

This is true, but great economies all have large territories and sizeable populations no?

 

[Yankee-stani]

This is true, but great economies all have large territories and sizeable populations no?

Pakistan other problem is what its purpose as nation to America has the freedom and democracy element China trying to get through its century of humiliation Russia restoring its former Soviet glory India becoming a world power Pakistan what

 

[H. Dawary]

Pakistan other problem is what its purpose as nation to America has the freedom and democracy element China trying to get through its century of humiliation Russia restoring its former Soviet glory India becoming a world power Pakistan what

India's is to restore its past former Hindu glory... Pakistan's identity was formed because of Islam, it can go from there and bring a restoration to Islam.

 

[Joe Shearer]

India's is to restore its past former Hindu glory... Pakistan's identity was formed because of Islam, it can go from there and bring a restoration to Islam.

That is the goal of one section of the Hindu part of India. That is not India's aspiration.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

A policy maker seeks either to keep power (1)... to increase its power (2)... to demonstrate its power (3). I will come back to these points later.

What do all great powers have in common... (1), A Nuclear arsenal, (2) large territories, (3) sizeable population, and (4) Spheres of influences.

The projected great powers of the future are said to be (1) USA, (2) China, (3) Russia, (4) India, (5) The EU. All these 5 nations (counting EU as one too) have the above 4 mentioned requirements.

Where does Pakistan fit in all of this? Pakistan has two of the above mentioned requirements (1) A nuclear arsenal and (3) A sizeable population, but it is missing (2) and (4). Canada for example, only possesses requirement (2), whereas North Korea only possesses requirement (1), Pakistan in its current state can only hope to be a semi power.

That begs the question as to how Pakistan can fulfil the other two requirements? And what will happen should it not pursue to become a major power?

Pakistan can fulfil requirement (2) by merging with Afghanistan thereby having that large territory, and fulfil requirement (4) by extending its range of influence into the Central Asian republics thereby challenging Russia.

Pakistan in its current state maintains a status quo, which is, seeking to keep power. "Domestic and international politics are by two different manifestations of the same phenomenon: the struggle for power... All nations are either preparing for, actively involved in, or are recovering from violence in the form of war" -Hans... The difference between domestic politics and international politics is separated by the thread of revolution on one hand and war on the other. All nations go through these phases of power struggles within and without.

Pakistan has demonstrated its power in Afghanistan by supporting those parties that are aligned to them of which they share a common interest, which is religion, however it has failed to increase its power due to the reason that it has not adopted those same values of the parties that it supports, which puts it in a quagmire of either keeping power (maintaining status quo) or increasing its power, which is to distribute power to those that are aligned in its policy, much like the Soviet Union which supported the Communist Cuban revolution, and other failed revolution in the Americas such as Grenada and Nicaragua. Unlike the Soviets, Pakistan has not completely adopted its own values for the struggle of power, while it has on the other hand come out as a staunch defender and strong supporter of those values which it supports.

@Pan-Islamic-Pakistan @Slav Defence @Sine Nomine @Ace of Spades @Psychic @Rusty

Great post brother, and one I concur with at every point.

Pakistan is stagnating, due to our inability to form a consistent foreign policy, expand our influence (which is our right,) and to increase our landmass (also our right.)

However I see the winds of change are upon us. PTI changed the way of thinking of Pakistanis in a big way. We no longer think on provincial terms, but have adopted a nationalistic mindset, all the way from Turbat to Skardu. Imran Khan unified Pakistan into one nation.

Economic troubles aside, which in sha Allah shall be dealt with by CPEC, Pakistan needs to focus on expansion. Our influence should reach Russia and Turkey, ideally, encompassing all of Central Asia.

Pakistan can benefit in a big way by infrastructure projects linking Afghanistan with Pakistan, and then Afghanistan with CARS.

Can you imagine an economic corridor stretching from Pakistan and China, all the way through Central Asia and Afghanistan, up to Azerbaijan and Turkey, preferably bypassing Iran and Iraq?

Pakistan must make a big push in this direction. Outside of Pakistan, Pakistani nationalism can only hold so much influence. From here on out, Islam and Muslim solidarity needs to become the defining part of Pakistan's outlook.

It will happen, due to the nature of Pakistanis and the very religious and loyal mindset of Pakistanis towards the cause of Muslim solidarity and unity.

 

[MastanKhan]

As long as Pakistani leadership views renting its sphere to other powers it will stay as stagnant regional power Afghanistan is probably gonna be increasingly under China's boot with Pakistan,Russia via the CARs and Iran serving as junior partners

Hi,

Pakistanis a nuc power---we all know that---. But instead of keeping to itself---pakistan had bragged for years on that it was the 'fort of Islam'---. When they declared that---it became a problem.

But when the time came for pakistan to become the 'fort of Islam'---the Pakistanis started quacking like 'chicken'---.

First at the onset of AFG america campaign and then the Yemen crisis---.

Pakistanis are living an illusion that the powers to be would just let pakistan's economy get stronger just like that---and pakistanis not understanding that the powers to be also know what pakistanis would do after that---.

So---even though clever and sharp the pakistanis are on many a financial frons---they act like imbeciles when it comes to strategy and tactfulness---.

The only way pakistan could have gotten off would have been to make use of its primary ' commodity'---the military manpower---.

This military commodity has been used for thousands of years for nations providing protection to weaker nations and hardly has there been a case where the protector has not gained a massive economic advantage for providing protection---.

Call it a mercenary army---call it a protectionist army---call it blood for money army or whatever name that you have---this phenomenon has been used by the the muslims by the christians or by the non believers for a long long time succefully---.

The failure to take advantage of this opportunity shows that Pakistan is still and infantile nation and the pakistani public with infantile ideology and mindset---still thinking like minors ruled by adults and not understanding why they are being stepped on and stepped over every day by the powers to be---.

 

[Rusty]

This is true, but great economies all have large territories and sizeable populations no?

Not at ALL
Singapore, luxembourg, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan etc. are all tiny nations with small population but are great economies and great nations.

All you need is an innovative population with laws that encourages the economy.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

@H. Dawary Brother, please read these excerpts from this article written by Abid Ullah Jan, a Pakistani Pukhtoon writer, who used to work for the Peshawar Post. He was also tied to Dr. Israr Ahmad.

Link is included in the header, for the rest of the article. Remember this article is from 2004.



The inevitable Pak-Afghan Union

While concluding a recent article on the border dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mohan Guruswamy of Deccan Chronicle concludes: “It is now only a question of time before the demand for the reunification of all their people becomes a rallying call for the Pashtun nation. Even the internal dynamics within Afghanistan demand it. There is much unfinished business here.”[16] We must remember that the same Indian analysts were highlighting importance of the Durand Line during the time of the Taliban, when they feared that Pakistan and Afghanistan have virtually merged into a single state.[17]

...

The viable option for addressing Pakistan’s vulnerable political geography and its military-demographic-economic weakness relative to India lies in Pakistan’s Union with Afghanistan. Irrespective of the present situation in which both Pakistan and Afghanistan are fully and partially occupied by the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan may apply the central argument of Huntington’s thesis, the "kin-country rallying"–” the mobilizing of interstate support systems or alliances on religious or civilizational grounds, in the first available opportunity.

...

With regard to Pakhtuns and NWFP, it is worth quoting what Ch. Rahmat Ali – the man who formulated the name and concept of Pakistan, said about ‘NWFP’ and the Pakhtoon people in his book “Pakistan: The Fatherland of Pak Nation” 1940:

...

"It must be remembered that the Pathans are a great, gifted, and Pan-Islamic people. This is borne out by History which records that they were the first to accept Islam and lay the foundations of its twelve-century rule in India; that they were the last to stop the fight against the British and the first to resume that fight on the Afghan and Baloch frontiers; and that they are the people one of whom, the writer, however unworthy, was blessed by Allah to create the Ideal of Pakistan. itself and start the fight for the realisation of that Ideal – the Ideal which so inspired all Muslims as to make them join the fight and establish this Fatherland which is the home and heritage of all Paks".

Finally, in his book, Ch. Rahmat Ali advocates a family re-union of our Asian and Indian homelands i.e. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

...

[16]. Mohan Guruswamy, “Scratch Across Pashtun Hearts,” Deccan Chronicle, July 18, 2003.

[17]. See for example W. P. S. Sidhu’s article, “Why the Durand Line is important,” in Indian Express, November 16, 1999. Sidhu is MacArthur Scholar at the Centre for International Studies, University of Oxford.

 

[Aspen]

Honestly I would be ok with a merger of Pakistan and Afghanistan once Afghanistan gets stabilized.

But what would we call this new country?

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Honestly I would be ok with a merger of Pakistan and Afghanistan once Afghanistan gets stabilized.

But what would we call this new country?

Khurasaan.

The Afghan secular multi-ethnic pseudo-state has failed. That kind of nationalism allowed all sorts of invasions and interference from world powers, and oppressed mostly Pukhtoons.

Pakistan represents the Islamic continuity of this region, which makes us the successors of all the major sultans, scholars, alims, wazirs, and imams who settled our region based solely on religion and outlook, rather than merely ethnic identity.

If Afghanistan's next government will be an Islamic one (emirate, republic,) it means that Afghanistan has adopted Pakistan's view of Muslim identity and history, which is that of Djamaluddin al-Afghani and his Muslim unity one. The same followed by Khomeini, Allama Iqbal, Maulana Maududi, and others.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are long lost brothers and have entered another period of friendship and unity. May it last forever.

@H. Dawary Something I wrote some time ago. It relates to the topic so I shared it here.

It is originally from my thread here: https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/hist...d-its-people-rarely-part-of-india-ivc.598015/

 

[Rusty]

I country that sell its army to another will never be a respected nation.

What about a country 7x bigger then it, with a bigger economy and military budget but ends up enjoying too much tea?