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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (43575)	1/23/2003 5:55:34 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

The demands of pragmatism Iqbal Latif (If oil-rich nations of the Middle East can overlook many injustices of the present world system for the sake of their own people, why can’t we in Pakistan also adopt policies that will be of benefit to our own populace?) In the latest poll survey, the Pakistani population, at 69 per cent, ranks only second to Jordanians (at 75 per cent) in their antipathy towards America. This is in stark contrast to the latest globalisation listings where Pakistan acquitted itself admirably — it has climbed up six steps in the rankings as an “open” political economy, surpassing India for the first time. The dichotomy between emotions and a commercial acumen continues to be the hallmark of Pakistan. Pakistan aims to be a part of the emerging global village but its people dislike the very nations which symbolise globalisation. This is not just unique to Pakistan. This is the Islamic response to the modern age. They have failed to come to grips with geopolitical reality and have blocked their minds by holding on to “western and Jewish conspiracies”. This is a very harmful trend in today’s global village. The once-formidable distances that separated the populations of the world have declined dramatically; regions have cohered within a globalised village. Indeed international issues have become fodder for neighbourhood discussions irrespective of one’s geographical bearings. Pakistan is an integral part of this universal phenomenon. The last thing the eastern anchor of the global Islamic Crescent needs to seek is more animosity and more enemies. We need to redefine our prerogatives; either we move forward through dialogue with civilisations and regain lost glory or we be labelled a “failed state”. In this age of cyber imperialism, paradoxically, it is the pre-eminent power America which is portrayed to be the number one enemy of Islam. The Islamic world’s failure to reconcile itself with America could prove to be its undoing. dailytimes.com.pk