By Mudassar Changwani Part-I
Though most people won’t have come across a chance to see a chameleon, they would have some idea of it. It’s a great species because it upskills humans and teaches them basic survival instincts. According to biologists, the key to a chameleon’s survival is its fantastic ability to disappear into the background. To motivational speakers, it has always been common to talk of chameleonic visual wonder to familiarize their audiences with how simple it is to outwit their opponents: fade into the background and disappear. The strategy suits some firms or companies at some point in their growth as it’s not just about survivability but also adaptability, contingent upon the surrounding realities.
The purpose of the analogy is not to assert that countries, too, adopt this discourse simply because they are the chief actors of the international system and, more importantly, connected to states’ priority in the design; it isn’t in their interest to fade away when the immediate paradigms require them to be proactive. That being the case, stating straightforwardly, it is catastrophic for countries to even think of it, especially in the postwar period.
But it’s the international system, full of absurdities and anomalies, wherein shocks are always in store. Though it may seem strange, it is not hard to find examples in the history of foreign affairs.
In the scenario that emerged after the 1979 Iranian revolution, Iran nearly faded when it massively transformed its political system. It started tormenting its neighbours by promoting and sponsoring its religious ideology and taking hostage US diplomats and citizens. The radical changes in the country’s policies drive intra-regional cooperation to a bare minimum, as was apparent from the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD), which was dissolved in 1979. Also, the havoc played with the Iranian economy. The point is, with each passing day, Iran becomes less important and relevant in international affairs.
For a considerable time, the Arab coalition that fought the 1973 War against Israel also suffered from this degeneracy after their lopsided rout in the war. The Arab nations have been telling their people of their formidable strength and the inability of Israel to defend itself by its strength. The strategic folly of not taking the overall factors seriously and luring the people into a war they couldn’t win led the Arab nations into an abysmal scenario, from which, claim many scholars, the Arab world has still not been able to recover. The Soviet Union, which boasted the world’s largest standing military and second-largest army by 1990, also faded and disappeared from the world’s horizon by disintegrating into many republics. The USSR ventured relentlessly to maintain its superpower status in the world, but its deteriorating conditions at home and worsening economy failed to support its military and economic endeavours.
When countries increasingly fail to fulfil the needs of their people and institute a system that works only for the benefit of the few, no matter whatever attempt a government makes to establish a sense of stability and legitimacy, it is always fake and temporary. Tunisia, a country with comparatively better-defined cultural identities and a sense of continuity than its regional counterparts, crumbled under the storms of discontent; the deteriorating socioeconomic conditions instigated brutal armed opposition in Algeria, which virtually stumbled to the brink of collapse; and Venezuela, once Latin America’s most prosperous country, the perpetuation of violence has plunged the country into Hobbesian state: life has become ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’ for its citizens.
Nothing of the kind threatens Pakistan, yet it is undeniable that a large chunk of the country’s population today faces a level of economic and social insecurity that their predecessors did not experience. The government is making tall claims of reforming and reinvigorating the economy. As some positive signs indicate, the economy of Pakistan has, no doubt, gradually grown to be stable and is heading in a reasonably positive direction; however, there comes the scourge of rising income and wealth inequalities. As indicated by a UNDP report (Development Advocate Pakistan: Volume 3, Issue 2), ‘the problem of 22 families controlling 66pc of Pakistan’s industrial assets, as identified by Dr Mahbubul Haq in 1968, remains relevant today due to rising inequality in the country where the richest 20pc consume seven times more than the poorest 20pc.’ “Persistent inequality hampers economic growth,” warns the report, “impedes poverty reduction, fuels crime, squanders talent and human potential, and stifles social mobility. An unequal society is not only unfair, but it is also less prosperous and stable.”
To be continued….
The writer is a co-editor of Republic Policy