Pamela Constable: "Playing With Fire"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-07-19/pamela-constable-playing-fire
It’s been more than sixty years since Pakistan was founded as an experiment in Muslim democracy. Despite a history of free elections and democratic institutions, the South Asian country has largely failed to live up to its potential. Most ordinary Pakistanis live in slums or primitive villages, working for low wages making bricks or planting crops. Faced with political corruption, lack of social mobility and joblessness, many Pakistanis have turned to radical Islam. Washington Post foreign correspondent Pamela Constable writes about the people of Pakistan, their country of contradictions, and why it remains critical to U.S. interests.
Guests
Pamela Constable
Foreign correspondent at the Washington Post, author of "Fragments of Grace" and co-author of "A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet."
Related Items
Author Extra: Pamela Constable Answers Questions
Ms. Constable stayed after the show to answer a few more questions.
Q: Is there a case for just walking away from Pakistan and essentiallly telling India and China to deal with them?
- From Paige via email in Ft. Lauderdale
A: I would not advocate "walking away" from Pakistan, given the long relationship between the two countries, the large numbers of Pakistanis living in or immigrated to the US, and the common interests we share. I think rather than leaving it to India or China to deal with Pakistan, it would be more useful for the West to keep pressing Pakistan to develop stronger democratic institutions, spend more money on social needs and less on defense, and turn away from its traditional view of India as a dangerous enemy.
Q: Can you expand on the role of tribal customs in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan, particularly the Pashtun connection?
- From Randal via email in Michigan
A: Tribal customs in Pakistan are not limited to the Pashtun tribal areas. They are more broadly a parallel system of justice and community rule that exists in many rural areas. They compete with the state, perpetuate oppressive practices against women, and hold back the rural poor from developing in terms of its education and living standards. Some civic and legal groups are working to modernize rural justice and practices, but progress has been slow and the tribal system still wields enormous power over people's lives.
Read an Excerpt
Excerpted from "Playing With Fire" by Pamela Constable. Copyright 2011 by Pamela Constable. Excerpted with kind permission of Random House.
Comments
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Is Pakistan critical to the American people's interests? Or is it critical to the interests of arms manufacturers? Please discuss. Most of our aid is used to prop the military (I heard Pakistan referred to as a military with a country instead of a country with a military). And helping us fight terrorism may be an interest but Pakistan supports and aids terrorism- they do not fight it.
I do not consider the interests of the Military Industrial Complex to be my interests. I also doubt that 'helping poor people' is of any interest to those in charge of the US government- they certainly are not interested in helping the poor in America.
Isn't being stoned to death for marrying without permission common in India as well?
Very interesting and timely discussion. I have a question for your guest. What does Pamela Constable consider the long term prospects (10, 20, 30 years out) for peace and stability in Pakistan?
Pamela mentioned that Pakistan is still basically a feudal society, no land reform, run by a small elite, etc. To what degree will this social/economic/political structure need to change in order for Pakistan to move toward a more stable, peaceful democracy? In the long run, are we looking at the possibility of peaceful reforms, civil war, state failure, or something else for Pakistan?
Would you comment on the effect that the fake immunization project, supposedly planned by the CIA, on our relations with the people of Pakistan--and the Third World, in general.
Pakistan is the 6th most populous nation (170million). It got nuclear weapons during the Cold War dynamic. Yes, arms manufacturers find it profitable that Pakistan receives military aid. Isolated territories provide refuge for extremists. It is conceivable that extremists could seize control of nuclear arms. (We were surprised that Oligarchs enabled T-partiers to hold our government hostage.)
Many nations today have a superfluous population. Unemployment and stagnation have come even to the United States and we are seeing some feudal tendencies here. An economy can be said to be healthy even with poverty, stagnation and high unemployment as long as wealthy speculators feel secure and in control. This contradiction suggests that failing to involve superfluous people and neglecting human services is a choice and that those in power prefer to serve elite needs. True that in Pakistan, the Arab Spring revolution nations, China (at least one third hungry) and the United States. What is the point of taxing us to build the kind of fake democracy we have at home in other nations? Maybe the USA should agree to de-nuke if Pakistan and others will. Maybe we should extend democracy and opportunity to our superfluous people as an example.
No, it is not! Unlike Pakistan, India is a secular democratic country with a free press and freedom to practice any religion. The majority (80%) religion is Hindu, which is more a way of life than an organized religion.
The guest stated she thinks that Pakistan failed was because of failed leadership. While this is true, she also clearly dodges the religious reason.
To be perfectly blunt, the Muslim faith is a one-sided backwards/ archaic faith that when properly researched has no give for change or equality in eachother, between male and female or even in other religions. I mean be honest with your self. When was the last time you heard a high ranking Muslim Immam call for all muslims (on a global stage, say CNN, Fox News, Al Jazera) to love all persons of humanity dispite difference in faith, sex or creed? When was the last time you heard any Muslim Immam call for misguided youth to stop killing themselfs and others? .....Ummm you don't. That is the reason India is more developed and better off economically because their primary faith Hindu and Seek is more of a lifestyle of peace and love.
YES, every religion has their whackjobs that give the faith a bad name, however you also hear a large porportion of people of that same faith speaking out against those whackjobs. The muslim example is not true.
Case and point, how about all those "normal"/ non radialized muslims that when to the street applauding that assiassination of the local govenor because he defended a woman and who happened to be Christian. REMEMBER, these were "normal" muslims.
I am not a person of faith, but to tell the world that the muslim faith is of peace is a complete fasade.