Pak Tea House » Entries tagged with "US"
Perils of Arundhati Roy Style Liberalism
Raza Habib Raja As a philosophy liberalism is more inward looking and hence does not try to shift blame on the outside forces. By its orientation, it also does not have an overly negative assumption about human nature and consequently is not obsessed with crime and punishment. It believes in the rationality of humans and further assumes that human intelligence is capable of creating an artifice where ethnic, linguistic and other such “ natural” differences can … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Imperialism, India, Marxism, Taliban
Anti-Americanism in the Muslim world
By Saad Hafiz: Many Americans are baffled and angered by the deep-set anti-Americanism prevailing in the Muslim world. Some Americans see it as an expression of a malevolent ill disposition that goes beyond the pale of reason, revealing the inherent venality, weakness and instability of Muslims. In this worldview, the US is the beacon of freedom and democracy and a major aid provider, which makes it especially confounding that it would be the target of Muslim rage. The genuine fears about extremism and violence in the Muslim world continue to play a role in driving these views. Former President George W Bush captured a widespread concern when he said, “Like most Americans, I just cannot believe the vitriolic hatred of the United States because I know how good we are.” There are … Read entire article »
Filed under: USA
No change is change
By Saad Hafiz: As the US Election approaches, the battle for the White House remains too close to call. The outcome is determined by an Electoral College, which has a total of 538 votes. To win a majority, a presidential candidate needs at least 270 votes. National polls did swing dramatically in challenger Mitt Romney’s direction after he trounced President Obama in the first debate. Recent polls show the two candidates in a virtual dead heat … Read entire article »
Filed under: USA
Beyond empty sound bites
By Saad Hafiz: Politics and diplomacy is a tough business, and the use of catchy sound bites is its modern currency, particularly in the media-savvy US. In keeping with this trend, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman used an attention-grabbing sound bite: “This is a new Pakistan. Catch up, gentlemen,” as Islamabad squabbled with Washington on transit rights for NATO forces in Afghanistan through Pakistan. Ms Rehman’s clip stressing upon her US hosts that Pakistan would not be pushed around anymore, probably bolstered her credentials with her intended domestic security and hyper-nationalist audience. Not to pick on Ms Rehman, who has the unenviable job of representing Pakistan in suspicious and unfriendly Washington, but reliance on sound bites often serves as a substitute for actual dialogue, helps masks ugly realities and contributes … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
Culture Shock – American Lifestyle
By Kashif: A life-changing event for me was a trip to the United States of America (USA), when I was selected as a Fulbright Scholar. The US is a dreamland for almost everyone; considering the number of visitors in New York and Chicago per day waiting in a queue would certainly testify my above mentioned assertion. I couldn’t believe I am in the US until the first day at the school. The whole system, the organized processes, students’ maturity, students’ goals, professors’ friendliness and among others, impressed me a lot and instantly broke the prejudice being carried in my mind about America and American people. The mind-change was a little bit quick and I realized I am still in a danger zone as my friends and family members kept on calling and … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture
Protests and anti-Islam Film
By Salma Ahmed : Another derogatory movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ has yet again created a havoc in the Islamic world especially in Libya, Egypt and Pakistan. I have not seen the movie or its trailer but only read about it. Apparently, the movie is poorly directed with no plot or acting worthy of comments. It was clearly made to humiliate Muslims and incite the reactions they are known to have. Kudos to the evil masterminds behind the movie; they have accomplished their goal. Muslims all over the world have taken to streets, protesting about the movie and are hell-bent upon destroying US embassies. In Libya, they even managed to take innocent lives (such as the lives of US ambassador Christopher Stevens and his staff). Pakistan, however, has outdone itself. Almost a week … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam
Why Muslims Have Such a Mindset
Raza Habib Raja In my previous article titled as “ How Moderate Muslims Reinforce the Problem” I tried to explore the linkage between mindset of moderate Muslims and extremism. I tried to show that due to their denial expressed in the form of weird conspiracy theories and apologetic defense, moderate Muslims end up inadvertently supporting the extremists and the radical elements. But why Muslims are like that? The reasons in my opinion are manifold and some are imbedded in our cognitive framework while rest are the outcome of international events and the actual behaviour of foreign players. First of all, conspiracy theories appeal to our fundamental and deeply held conviction that a Muslim cannot do anything which would bring a bad name to Islam and lead to adverse consequences to the Muslim … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
“Audacity of Hope” (An open letter to all Pakistanis)
Sultan Babar Mirza Reportedly, two foreign players have historically played the role of major kingmakers in Pakistan. Be it Ayub, Bhutto, Zia, Benazir, Nawaz Sharif or Musharraf – plenty of rumours say these ‘leaders’ largely owed their thrones to either the United States of America or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Thanks to Wikileaks, we now have some evidence of this as well (not as much as one would like, but enough). Before going further, let us … Read entire article »
Weak candidates in US presidential contest
By Saad Hafiz: After decisive primary victories, it appears certain that Mitt Romney will be anointed as the Republican candidate for president at the party’s convention in Tampa in August. Romney wrapped up the nomination numerically when he won the voter-rich Texas primary a few weeks ago. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is a veteran financial executive and a former governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. For Romney, now begins the hard part as he faces multiple challenges as he squares off against President Obama. Romney’s biggest challenge is that he is up against an incumbent president who faced no primary challenge and has been actively preparing for the general election for more than a year. Obama brings to the table all the fundraising, organisation, and media attention that naturally flow to a sitting president. The latest campaign finance figures underscore the … Read entire article »
Filed under: USA
El Che and Sheikh Osama
By Saad Hafiz: It has been reported from the interrogation of the Bin Laden widows in Pakistan that Osama Bin Laden admired Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. Che Guevara was the charismatic Argentine-Cuban revolutionary and close confidante of Fidel Castro, who was executed in Bolivia in 1967. It is worth exploring Bin Laden’s admiration for Che beyond just as a fellow political outlaw and rebel against US domination. There are definitely some eerie similarities in the story of the life and death of Che and Bin Laden, the most conspicuous being that both men had ‘declared war’ on the United States and also suffered violent death in actions which smacked of US frontier justice. We know that the Americans extracted their pound of flesh in Bin Laden’s case in a brutal fashion with elite … Read entire article »
Filed under: Taliban, Uncategorized
The “King” And ICE
By D. Asghar Bollywood Superstar, Shah Rukh Khan aka “King” Khan, must be really unlucky. Last week, he was questioned again for two hours at an American airport. A couple of years back, he went through a similar ordeal here in the US. Many called it a publicity stunt, as his movie, “My Name is Khan”, was about to be released. The movie which was a collage of Hollywood hits like , “Rain Man” and “Forest Gump”, dealt with the plight of Muslims in a post 09/11 America. It sure seems like ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has sort of a mix up with our “desi King’s” name. No wonder why, he is pulled and grilled. The people often wonder, is the system so dumb, that it cannot differentiate between a real … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Pakistan should support Iran as its long-term policy
By Prof Farakh A Khan: (Iran: it holds 10% of oil and 15% of gas reserves of the world, population 76,900,300, literacy (over 15 years) 80%, life expectancy 70.86, area 1,648,195 sq. km. Wikipedia, 2012) Iran is in the hot seat these days with its nuclear development plan. The US and Israel fear that Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and are threatening to bomb nuclear sites in Iran. If Iran is bombed what would be the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Reviews
Pak-US relations and the politics of absence
By S Farwa Zahra: After much media attention, US secretary Hilary Clinton and Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar finally had a “dialogue” in London over Pak-US relations. From news reports, it seems that Ms. Clinton really had a lot to say, but what was our foreign minister doing the whole time? What is striking about all news reports surrounding this meeting is the fact that while there are a number of statements from Clinton and other US officials, we don’t hear Khar speaking. There is not even a single quote from her. It only took me a few clicks over different news reports to find out what could have turned a bilateral “dialogue” into a US monologue. The sources for all these stories were western news agencies like Reuters and AFP. I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
International Commission of Jurists statement on Husain Haqqani
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS Commission internationale de juristes – Comisión Internacional de Juristas ” Protecting and promoting human rights through the Rule of Law” PRESS RELEASE For immediate release – 25 January 2012 Former Pakistan Ambassador to the US faces threats to his life – ICJ Geneva, Switzerland – The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today expressed its grave concern for the infringement of rights of Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States of America. Hussain Haqqani has been embroiled in a political and judicial conflict stemming from a leaked political memorandum that he was alleged to have authored, only a few days after al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US military forces. “Hussain Haqqani faced a vicious media trial following which the Supreme Court of Pakistan on a petition filed debarred him from travelling abroad, despite … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
General Delusion Gul
By Taha Kehar Political acumen is a valuable asset which requires a sound understanding of current affairs and the rare ability to steer clear of false philosophy. But not everyone realises its benefits. In an interview with Khushnood Ali Khan in 2008, Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul revealed that political acumen can be clouded by delusions of Taliban grandeur and US atrocity. Some moot points presented in the interview include: a) The claim that Lashkar-e-Islam’s Amir Haji Mangal Bagh is ‘popular among the people’. While Gul does substantiate this belief, there is sufficient evidence to the contrary which he fails to account for. For instance, it cannot be assumed that the popularity of a leader corresponds with the fairness of his policies. After all, how can we forget that Mangal Bagh warned women in the Khyber Agency against … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
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