For the first time ever,
talks of nuking an entire nation or a region were discussed openly and
remorselessly
By SYED M. ASLAM
May 20 -June 02, 2002
The world has changed dramatically since our annual
issue last year. It seems that 2001 begun and end with a single day-
September 11. References to all activities — be it social, cultural,
economic, religious, commerce, trade — today have but a single point
of reference.
The kamikaze attacks destroyed more than the
symbols of trade and military might of the US, in the US. They
shattered the very fabric of the trust necessary for the peaceful
coexistence of the human kind, the flow of global trade, the
industrial, financial and service activities, the social and religious
harmony among peoples. They divided the world like never before giving
way to a deep mistrust — nation against nation and people against
people — bringing destruction in their wake to thousands of people
who had nothing to do with the dastardly acts in any way.
Industries and economies tumbled one after the
other in both the developed and the developing world to the greater
disadvantage of the later, the suppliers of raw materials to the
former. The insurance and the aviation were the two worst hit sectors
— the former due to billions of dollars worth in claims and the
later due to reluctance to travel by a shocked people, not only in the
US but all across the world.
Retail sales, one of the major indicators of the
economic activities on any given day, dropped drastically in the US as
people preferred to stay indoors. This attitude in the most affluent
nation and the home of consumerism in the world took, and still keeps
on taking, a heavy toll on the rest of the world.
Muslims in general, and Islamic countries in
particular, bear the biggest brunt of the ensuing hate. Everything
Islamic were suddenly became suspicious — be it the name,
nationality, clothes, beard, or even a casual association. In short,
the events of that tragic day helped US, and for that matter the
developed West, discover a brand new enemy like the Communism of the
past.
For the first time ever, talks of nuking an entire
nation or a region were discussed openly and remorselessly. Media in
the West carried articles advocating dropping the nuclear bombs on
Islamic countries as well as on Muslim's holiest city Mecca to
eradicate, once and for all, the so-called Islamic militancy. The US
ever so occupied with finding a new bogey found in Islam a perfect
enemy to discredit a people who make up 20 per cent of the global
population. Highest authorities in the US administration pointed
fingers at new 'centres of evil', the majority of them countries with
dominant populations of Muslim, and minced no words to nuke them as
the most appropriate thing to do. Never before since the advent of
A-bomb such abhorring advocacies of mass destruction were discussed so
openly and so remorselessly. The lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and
the resolve that they would not ever happen again seem to be dissolved
into the thin air as if they never existed.
The writ of the US stands unchallenged in the world
which has become completely unipolar since that fateful day. Certainly
the world is pulling itself from the wreckage of the carnage but the
ghost still seems to haunt it every day it wakes up.
Not that the events were the first acts of
terrorism in the world. However, what had been different was this that
this time around the victim was the US, the only worldly super power.
The attacks bruised the ego of the super power which other wise always
remained aloof to the acts of terrorism in other parts of the world
feeling that it was invincible.
The world was given a singular choice by the US —
"You are either with us or you are not. If you are not you will
be treated as an enemy." Who can dare to argue with a super power
which has huge piles of weapons of mass destruction capable of blowing
up the world many times over. The decision to support the US in its
war against terrorism by all and sundry can be easily understood.
For the developing countries like Pakistan, which
has been an US ally all along, becoming an important coalition partner
made all the more sense. With an economy dependent on foreign loans
enough to wipe out the country's annual budgets for good six years the
country just can not afford to say 'no', particularly when the only
choice offered to it was that a 'no' would put it back in the stone
ages.
For the second time in over two decades, Pakistan
became a front line state in the US' war against terrorism. This time
around the enemy was not the Communist USSR, which has since been
disintegrated, but the militant government of Afghanistan and the
groups that it was supporting. The rest, as they say, is history.
Nine months later, today, the global economy is
still coming out of the shadow of that infamous day. There are signs
of improvement, even if in bits and pieces. Pakistan has earned the
respect of the international community to play a role of the frontline
against terrorism. The respect has resulted in rescheduling of a
portion of massive foreign loans to provide it a breather in the short
term. The US and European Union has removed certain trade barriers to
make their markets more accessible to Pakistani goods, particularly
the prized garments. The World Bank and IMF has become more
accommodating in releasing loans. However, the slowing down of
industrial activities and dropping exports will take time to
neutralize. Meanwhile, Pakistan faces military threats from
neighbouring India. But given the resolution, Pakistan will prevail.
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