Weimar & Pakistan

[Solomon2]

Weimar & Pakistan
Muhammad Ali Siddiqi
December 25, 2017

THERE is a frightening resemblance between Pakistan and the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), both threatened by militias and bullied by uncouth demagogues. If in Germany Ernst Rohm’s one million Brownshirts frightened even Hitler, in Pakistan terrorist groups have graduated into full-fledged ‘armies’ capable of challenging the military.

Their arsenals are well-stocked — AK47s, grenades, rocket launchers, surface-to-air missiles and a most terrible weapon the Germans couldn’t think of — the suicide bomber. No wonder, they have become a terror, literally and figuratively. Compared to them, the German militias — Nazi, communist, monarchist, republican, the Freikorps and its numerous offshoots — were virtually unarmed. Their weapons were First World War rifles, rods, knives and pistols (in the Beer Hall putsch, Hitler fired a pistol).

Unlike their German counterparts, the robotised cadres of Pakistan’s terrorist organisations are cold-blooded murderers and bomb schools, mosques and shrines without a qualm; their German counterparts confined their violence to breaking up their rivals’ rallies, bashing their skulls and occasionally eliminating political opponents. The fatality toll during the 14 Weimar years was less than 100. In Pakistan, the number of the dead since 2007 has stood between 50,000 and 70,000.

Terrorist groups have graduated into full-fledged ‘armies’.​

Those who slaughtered 132 Pakistani children had had crossed the Durand Line from their zone of comfort; Germany’s armed groups were largely on their own, though the Red ‘battalions’ did indeed receive some help from communist Russia, itself in chaos. Also common to both is the constant flow of funds from powerful quarters. Just as Pakistani extremist parties have no dearth of doles from religious entities, some of them masquerading as charities, the Nazi party likewise received ample financial support from industrial tycoons, especially arms manufacturers like the Krupps.

Also, like their German predecessors, Pakistani terror groups get intellectual backing, too — sometimes subtle, sometimes quite openly — from sections of the academia, religious elements and the media. In the Weimar, Hitler’s demagogy moved even the intelligentsia, wounded by the humiliating Treaty of Versailles. Even a scholar-architect like Albert Speer fell under Hitler’s spell, organised party rallies and performed stonishing feats as his armaments minister, but later turned against him and tried to poison him.

We can also see a deep contempt for the existing order in both cases. It was the monarchy which had started the war, or was accused of starting the Great War, by giving carte blanche to Austria for the attack on Serbia; it was left to the republican government to follow the Entente’s diktat. No wonder Nazi propaganda focused blistering attacks on democracy for being responsible for the country’s defeat and the shrinkage of German territory. Thus the idea of destroying the republic was instilled among the German people as a laudable goal.

In Pakistan, we see the same phenomenon in which the existing order is portrayed as maghribi (Western) and un-Islamic, and therefore deserving of destruction by violent means. The totality of this sermonising has affected even ‘normal’ Pakistanis subconsciously as seen in the recklessness with which our non-political mobs vandalise and burn. Everything about Pakistan is considered contemptible and destroyable.

There are, of course, differences. The Weimar republic lasted 14 years; the post-1971 Pakistan has survived 46 turbulent years. Between 1971 and 2017 it hasn’t been all negative. Many setbacks, no doubt, but Pakistan gained an accretion of strength in the form of the nuclear deterrent. Unlike India, which received encouragement and enriched uranium from both Nato and Warsaw Pact countries, Pakistan’s nuclear effort has largely been solo. This has given Pakistanis a tremendous sense of confidence.

The 1973 Constitution has shown a surprising degree of resilience, survived two military interventions and been restored through a democratic process. Finally, Jinnah remains our frame of reference. He is nearer in history, and his personality has continued to inspire four generations of Pakistanis. For those in the Weimar Republic, Frederick the Great (1712-1786) was too distant in history.

Does the mere existence of militias, some of which have declared war on Pakistan, necessarily mean that the present system is ripe for a takeover by a fascist dictatorship? Signs are ominous, but Pakistani democracy has shown survival instinct. Nevertheless, Pakistan must learn from the patience Germany exercised until its partial reunification, and the low-profile foreign policy it followed until the break-up of the Soviet Union. Ultimately, the fortunes of Pakistan’s war on terror are linked to the Afghan conflict, which Islamabad must try to bring to an end at the earliest. Here, much to India’s delight, Trumpism is Pakistan’s problem. This is a subject unto itself.

The writer is Dawn’s Readers’ Editor.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2017

 

[MultaniGuy]

I do not get the article, Zionist?

What is your point again?

 

[Sharpshooter12]

WTF have I just read. While there are quite a few arguments that can be put to show how stupid this analogy is, but consider just one, the political party that those million brown shirts and Ernst Rohm represented won the majority seats in 1932 election, they won nearly 1/3 of the total votes cast.

Now as the writer is trying to draw an analogy here, so when was the last time that any party with extreme religious, political views or militant inclination say JUI-S or Mili Muslim League won more than 0.5 percent of the seats or votes in Pakistan. These are fringe parties with fringe support, and no none of them have a million men armed militias.

Finally, Jinnah remains our frame of reference. He is nearer in history, and his personality has continued to inspire four generations of Pakistanis. For those in the Weimar Republic, Frederick the Great (1712-1786) was too distant in history.

Ok this article clearly seems like it has been written by a high school student with not much grip on history. Why would a republic look towards a monarch for inspiration, and one that is more Prussian than a representative of whole of Germany. If they were looking for inspiration after a defeat, Bismarck would have been a better choice, after all he created what is known as Germany and no it was not a distant historical figure(died in 1898). Anyway this whole article is sub-standard.

 

[MultaniGuy]

WTF have I just read. While there are quite a few arguments that can be put to show how stupid this analogy is, but consider just one, the political party that those million brown shirts and Ernst Rohm represented won the majority seats in 1932 election, they won nearly 1/3 of the total votes cast.

Now as the writer is trying to draw an analogy here, so when was the last time that any party with extreme religious, political views or militant inclination say JUI-S or Mili Muslim League won more than 0.5 percent of the seats or votes in Pakistan. These are fringe parties with fringe support, and no none of them have a million men armed militias.


Ok this article clearly seems like it has been written by a high school student with not much grip on history. Why would a republic look towards a monarch for inspiration, and one that is more Prussian than a representative of whole of Germany. If they were looking for inspiration after a defeat, Bismarck would have been a better choice, after all he created what is known as Germany and no it was not a distant historical figure(died in 1898). Anyway this whole article is sub-standard.

Agreed with you. The article is garbage.

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

The difference is one has expanded it's State's writ over more of the country than it had since creation and sent the militias into caves.

While strengthening institutions, however slow.

 

[Solomon2]

Why would a republic look towards a monarch for inspiration, and one that is more Prussian than a representative of whole of Germany.

Because before the Weimar Republic, Frederick the Great's Prussia was the most religiously and politically tolerant society the Germans had known: for almost all his reign Frederick permitted full freedom of speech - even criticism of his rule and military competence - and full freedom of religion. Even after Frederick finished with his wars. In contrast to Frederick's freedoms with order, the Weimar Republic suffered from growing religious intolerance and battles in the streets between political parties. Frederick's Prussia gained in strength not just through conquests but through immigration and capital investment, both foreign and domestic.

Now as the writer is trying to draw an analogy here, so when was the last time that any party with extreme religious, political views or militant inclination say JUI-S or Mili Muslim League won more than 0.5 percent of the seats or votes in Pakistan. These are fringe parties with fringe support, and no none of them have a million men armed militias.

Doesn't matter because the mainstream parties are so far down the road to radicalization already. Just look at how their attitudes towards the Jews of Israel.

 

[Zibago]

Doesn't matter because the mainstream parties are so far down the road to radicalization already. Just look at how their attitudes towards the Jews of Israel.

The Eastern European squatters who occupied the Holy Lands after Europeans got too bigoted?

 

[Sharpshooter12]

Doesn't matter because the mainstream parties are so far down the road to radicalization already. Just look at how their attitudes towards the Jews of Israel.

Oh grow up, world does not revolve around the "Jews of Israel", we don't give a flying f*** about you, its just your illegal occupation of a land that makes you hated around the world. Having a friendly attitude towards the Jews of Israel is not pre-requisite of being a moderate society.

Because before the Weimar Republic, Frederick the Great's Prussia was the most religiously and politically tolerant society the Germans had known: for almost all his reign Frederick permitted full freedom of speech - even criticism of his rule and military competence - and full freedom of religion. Even after Frederick finished with his wars. In contrast to Frederick's freedoms with order, the Weimar Republic suffered from growing religious intolerance and battles in the streets between political parties. Frederick's Prussia gained in strength not just through conquests but through immigration and capital investment, both foreign and domestic.

hahaha yeah right, I don't remember reading anywhere that Hindenberg called Jews as less human than rest of us, you know who held that belief, Frederick the Great. So perhaps the people living in Weimar Republic were in fact idealizing him, at least the poll numbers showed that.

 

[RescueRanger]

Interesting reading. Alas the sky is not falling.

 

[Skywalker]

What the hell was that, a poor try by a college student level writer.

 

[Dalit]

I can only laugh at this desperate Zionist who got disgraced by the UN vote the other day. It is funny how concerned he is with Pakistan when his own country is being deserted by so-called allies such as India LOL

This Zionist has no answer as to why he got disgraced and isolated by his allies.

 

[Samlee]

Weimar & Pakistan
Muhammad Ali Siddiqi
December 25, 2017

THERE is a frightening resemblance between Pakistan and the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), both threatened by militias and bullied by uncouth demagogues. If in Germany Ernst Rohm’s one million Brownshirts frightened even Hitler, in Pakistan terrorist groups have graduated into full-fledged ‘armies’ capable of challenging the military.

Their arsenals are well-stocked — AK47s, grenades, rocket launchers, surface-to-air missiles and a most terrible weapon the Germans couldn’t think of — the suicide bomber. No wonder, they have become a terror, literally and figuratively. Compared to them, the German militias — Nazi, communist, monarchist, republican, the Freikorps and its numerous offshoots — were virtually unarmed. Their weapons were First World War rifles, rods, knives and pistols (in the Beer Hall putsch, Hitler fired a pistol).

Unlike their German counterparts, the robotised cadres of Pakistan’s terrorist organisations are cold-blooded murderers and bomb schools, mosques and shrines without a qualm; their German counterparts confined their violence to breaking up their rivals’ rallies, bashing their skulls and occasionally eliminating political opponents. The fatality toll during the 14 Weimar years was less than 100. In Pakistan, the number of the dead since 2007 has stood between 50,000 and 70,000.

Terrorist groups have graduated into full-fledged ‘armies’.​

Those who slaughtered 132 Pakistani children had had crossed the Durand Line from their zone of comfort; Germany’s armed groups were largely on their own, though the Red ‘battalions’ did indeed receive some help from communist Russia, itself in chaos. Also common to both is the constant flow of funds from powerful quarters. Just as Pakistani extremist parties have no dearth of doles from religious entities, some of them masquerading as charities, the Nazi party likewise received ample financial support from industrial tycoons, especially arms manufacturers like the Krupps.

Also, like their German predecessors, Pakistani terror groups get intellectual backing, too — sometimes subtle, sometimes quite openly — from sections of the academia, religious elements and the media. In the Weimar, Hitler’s demagogy moved even the intelligentsia, wounded by the humiliating Treaty of Versailles. Even a scholar-architect like Albert Speer fell under Hitler’s spell, organised party rallies and performed stonishing feats as his armaments minister, but later turned against him and tried to poison him.

We can also see a deep contempt for the existing order in both cases. It was the monarchy which had started the war, or was accused of starting the Great War, by giving carte blanche to Austria for the attack on Serbia; it was left to the republican government to follow the Entente’s diktat. No wonder Nazi propaganda focused blistering attacks on democracy for being responsible for the country’s defeat and the shrinkage of German territory. Thus the idea of destroying the republic was instilled among the German people as a laudable goal.

In Pakistan, we see the same phenomenon in which the existing order is portrayed as maghribi (Western) and un-Islamic, and therefore deserving of destruction by violent means. The totality of this sermonising has affected even ‘normal’ Pakistanis subconsciously as seen in the recklessness with which our non-political mobs vandalise and burn. Everything about Pakistan is considered contemptible and destroyable.

There are, of course, differences. The Weimar republic lasted 14 years; the post-1971 Pakistan has survived 46 turbulent years. Between 1971 and 2017 it hasn’t been all negative. Many setbacks, no doubt, but Pakistan gained an accretion of strength in the form of the nuclear deterrent. Unlike India, which received encouragement and enriched uranium from both Nato and Warsaw Pact countries, Pakistan’s nuclear effort has largely been solo. This has given Pakistanis a tremendous sense of confidence.

The 1973 Constitution has shown a surprising degree of resilience, survived two military interventions and been restored through a democratic process. Finally, Jinnah remains our frame of reference. He is nearer in history, and his personality has continued to inspire four generations of Pakistanis. For those in the Weimar Republic, Frederick the Great (1712-1786) was too distant in history.

Does the mere existence of militias, some of which have declared war on Pakistan, necessarily mean that the present system is ripe for a takeover by a fascist dictatorship? Signs are ominous, but Pakistani democracy has shown survival instinct. Nevertheless, Pakistan must learn from the patience Germany exercised until its partial reunification, and the low-profile foreign policy it followed until the break-up of the Soviet Union. Ultimately, the fortunes of Pakistan’s war on terror are linked to the Afghan conflict, which Islamabad must try to bring to an end at the earliest. Here, much to India’s delight, Trumpism is Pakistan’s problem. This is a subject unto itself.

The writer is Dawn’s Readers’ Editor.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2017

DAWN News Why Am I Not Surprised

 

[Reichsmarschall]

Doesn't matter because the mainstream parties are so far down the road to radicalization already. Just look at how their attitudes towards the Jews of Israel.

yes all the 109 nations who expelled our pious God choosen angel Jews were evil