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‘US bullying smaller states on pretext of national security’
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158631
Friday, January 23, 2009
By our correspondent
Karachi
Renowned political analyst Prof. Shameem Akhtar has condemned the United States for “bullying smaller and weaker states” on the pretext of ‘national security,’ forgetting the fact that it was the only superpower that was engaged in browbeating nations thousands of miles away from the American homeland.
Prof. Akhtar expressed his crisp opinion, without mincing words, in a Lecture organised on Thursday by the Area Study Centre for Europe (ASCE). He began his lecture with comments concerns aired by the new President of the United States Barack Obama about the national security of his country. “It is really interesting to note that the new president has harped on the same tune that was played by his predecessor (Bush) to a cacophony. It was expected that the new president would understand the flaw on the so-called war on terror and desist from such talk and action,” he said.
He pointed out the draconian laws initiated post-9/11 in the US which envisages 99-year prison terms for petty crimes, conveniently forgetting the string of war crimes against Afghanistan, Iraq and even Pakistan. “The Latin American countries were the targets of the US in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The streak is too obvious to ignore or forget,” Prof. Akhtar said.
He mentioned the Frontier Laws enacted by Lord Curzon which empowered the British colonial masters to arrest the family of the accused if he could not be apprehended or even do better by blowing up the house if no one was found. “Thanks to Lord Curzon, the US is using his tactics to fight the ‘war on terror’,” he maintained.
Prof. Akhtar also rejected the law of ‘hot pursuit’ saying it was not applicable on land. “It is applicable in the territorial waters of a country if some foreign naval vessel enters it without invitation,” he said.
There was special mention of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who assumed the Presidency in 1933. He announced a ‘Milder Policy’ with the Latin American neighbours but sent warships to Haiti, a tiny island, on the pretext of ‘national security’. The use of American firepower is like “shooting a sparrow with a cannon,” he observed.
The lecture also highlighted the period of the Cold War between the USA and USSR which was an effective balance against any adventurism by the two foes. Both countries kept to their areas of influence. The check by the two superpowers was seen during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Suez Crossing by Israel and in 1971 when Indira Gandhi wanted to teach Pakistan a lesson by occupying its maximum territory, speakers said. In the two former crises the USA and USSR used their leverage for their respective interests. In the third, the USA reminded the USSR to hold the running horses of India because it could also jeopardize US security.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158631
Friday, January 23, 2009
By our correspondent
Karachi
Renowned political analyst Prof. Shameem Akhtar has condemned the United States for “bullying smaller and weaker states” on the pretext of ‘national security,’ forgetting the fact that it was the only superpower that was engaged in browbeating nations thousands of miles away from the American homeland.
Prof. Akhtar expressed his crisp opinion, without mincing words, in a Lecture organised on Thursday by the Area Study Centre for Europe (ASCE). He began his lecture with comments concerns aired by the new President of the United States Barack Obama about the national security of his country. “It is really interesting to note that the new president has harped on the same tune that was played by his predecessor (Bush) to a cacophony. It was expected that the new president would understand the flaw on the so-called war on terror and desist from such talk and action,” he said.
He pointed out the draconian laws initiated post-9/11 in the US which envisages 99-year prison terms for petty crimes, conveniently forgetting the string of war crimes against Afghanistan, Iraq and even Pakistan. “The Latin American countries were the targets of the US in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The streak is too obvious to ignore or forget,” Prof. Akhtar said.
He mentioned the Frontier Laws enacted by Lord Curzon which empowered the British colonial masters to arrest the family of the accused if he could not be apprehended or even do better by blowing up the house if no one was found. “Thanks to Lord Curzon, the US is using his tactics to fight the ‘war on terror’,” he maintained.
Prof. Akhtar also rejected the law of ‘hot pursuit’ saying it was not applicable on land. “It is applicable in the territorial waters of a country if some foreign naval vessel enters it without invitation,” he said.
There was special mention of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who assumed the Presidency in 1933. He announced a ‘Milder Policy’ with the Latin American neighbours but sent warships to Haiti, a tiny island, on the pretext of ‘national security’. The use of American firepower is like “shooting a sparrow with a cannon,” he observed.
The lecture also highlighted the period of the Cold War between the USA and USSR which was an effective balance against any adventurism by the two foes. Both countries kept to their areas of influence. The check by the two superpowers was seen during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Suez Crossing by Israel and in 1971 when Indira Gandhi wanted to teach Pakistan a lesson by occupying its maximum territory, speakers said. In the two former crises the USA and USSR used their leverage for their respective interests. In the third, the USA reminded the USSR to hold the running horses of India because it could also jeopardize US security.
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