[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions]
I often come across people who consider that Gen Musharraf's U-Turn after 9-11 was the only alternative that the dictator had in the face of the threat from State Department official to bomb Pakistan back to stone age if Pakistan were to refuse to cooperate. A dictator general finding himself running out of ideas and options is typical of his training where he can only see lose-win or win-lose situations. The dictator generals trying to safeguard their illegitimate rule are pathologically incapable of thinking out of box and contemplating options that may exist outside the win-lose or lose-win box. On the other hand, politicians never run out of ideas even when their backs are to the wall. I personally think the fake commando general could have done several things, but in his false bravado and enclosed in his limited coterie of advisers he took the easiest way out. I think the preferred option would have been that he should have announced elections, transferred the power to an interim government and told USA that such decisions require consensus. He would have gained several months of time for Pakistan. Getting a political consensus from politicians is hard especially when backed by the military. They would have started bickering and playing politics. The pressure would have thus passed. Turkey did a similar thing when USA tried to pressure Turkey to give land access to US forces for invading Iraq. They referred the case to parliament that conveniently ruled out the possibility. This is Politics 101.
I often come across people who consider that Gen Musharraf's U-Turn after 9-11 was the only alternative that the dictator had in the face of the threat from State Department official to bomb Pakistan back to stone age if Pakistan were to refuse to cooperate. A dictator general finding himself running out of ideas and options is typical of his training where he can only see lose-win or win-lose situations. The dictator generals trying to safeguard their illegitimate rule are pathologically incapable of thinking out of box and contemplating options that may exist outside the win-lose or lose-win box. On the other hand, politicians never run out of ideas even when their backs are to the wall. I personally think the fake commando general could have done several things, but in his false bravado and enclosed in his limited coterie of advisers he took the easiest way out. I think the preferred option would have been that he should have announced elections, transferred the power to an interim government and told USA that such decisions require consensus. He would have gained several months of time for Pakistan. Getting a political consensus from politicians is hard especially when backed by the military. They would have started bickering and playing politics. The pressure would have thus passed. Turkey did a similar thing when USA tried to pressure Turkey to give land access to US forces for invading Iraq. They referred the case to parliament that conveniently ruled out the possibility. This is Politics 101.
- See my detailed post: Are Generals Qualified to Make Long Term Strategy: Costs of Strategic Failures of Military Dictators
There can be several scenarios that can be built upon the above transfer of power to civilians option:
References:
[1] Bush threatened to bomb Pakistan to Stone age, says Musharraf, The Guardian, Sep 22, 2006
The Bush administration threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" after the September 11 attacks if the country did not cooperate with America's war on Afghanistan.
[2] Bush unaware of ‘bombing to stone age’ threat: Pakistan-US understanding on ‘hot pursuit’ claimed: “The first I heard of this [threat to bomb Pakistan to stone age] is when I read it in the newspaper today … I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words,” said Mr Bush.
“When the president looks me in the eye and says … that there won’t be a Taliban and there won’t be Al Qaeda, I believe him,” said Mr Bush. “This is a person with whom I’ve now had close working relationships for five and a half years.
“And when he says, if we find — or when we find Osama bin Laden, he will be brought to justice, I believe him. And we’ll let the tactics speak for themselves after it happens. We’re on the hunt together.”
See Also:
- How Neocolonialism Keeps Developing Countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan Perpetually Destabilized
- What Options Gen Musharraf had after 9-11 when US threatened to send Pakistan to stone age?
- Is Justice Munir's Doctrine of Necessity Dead or Alive?
- Narratives Designed to Dishonor Popular Choice and Support Neo-Colonialism
- Why Dictator Generals are Weaker than Civilians Rulers in Withstanding External Pressure
- Doctrine of Necessity from CJ Munir to Judge Khosa: Role of Judiciary in the Service of Neocolonialism
- SC Judgement as Project Assignment for Finance Accounting Students: SC Disqualifies PM on not Declaring Uncollected Receivables as Income
- SC Interpretation of Sadiq and Ameen in Disqualification of PM Nawaz Sharif
- SC Panama Case Judgement and Crowds Clamoring for the Heads of Rich under Robespierre
- Essential Law for Masses: Perry Mason and my Learning
- Role of Sharifuddin Pirzada in Promulgating Martial Laws for Every Dictator of Pakistan
- Why Dictatorships are Weaker in Accountability than Constitutional Governments
- Importance of Literature in Law: A Case Study of the Panama Case Supreme Court Judgement
- At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions
- Who has Greater Will and Resolve in controlling Karachi Disturbances: Dictators vs Civilian Governments
- Traitor/Foreign Agent Production Factory of Pakistan
- Field Marshals of Pakistan: Costs of Sycophancy and Political Expediency
- Costs of Justice Munir's Doctrine of Necessity: 4 Martial Laws and 35 years of dictatorships
- Costs of Military Dictatorships of Pakistan
- Costs of General Musharraf's Dictatorship
- Costs of General Ayub's Dicatatorship
- Why Pakistani Democracies are a Sham? Costs of Controlling a Democracy from Outside
- Costs of General Zia's Dictatorship in Pakistan
- Costs of Sham Democracratic Governments in Pakistan
- Remembering East Pakistan: We look before and after, And pine for what is not
- At What Cost! Fazle Hasan of IBA and our Computation of Economic Costs
No comments:
Post a Comment