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Why Pakistan Is Stuck in a Broken Carousel: Pakistan's deep state of military and intelligence community is the cause of Pakistan's problems, not its solution
 [HudsonInstitute] A quotation often misattributed to Albert Einstein defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results". The Pakistani establishment's assumption that control over all levers of power and a single national narrative can rid Pakistan of its myriad problems definitely matches that definition.Pakistan's generals see themselves as the solution to Pakistan's problems instead of realising their own contribution to the country's long-standing issues. Pakistan's praetorian establishment has run the country since its inception in 1947 on the basis of a narrow state ideology. There have been modifications, but the official worldview has shifted only within the narrow space between an Islamic nationalism and complete Islamisation. At the heart of Pakistan's state ideology is a constant sense of insecurity, the fear that external and internal forces are out to undo Pakistan. The country has been caught in a vicious circle. The large army inherited from the British Raj must keep this sense of insecurity alive to justify the allocation of a significant portion of the country's resources for the military. That leaves little money for social or human development, which in turn constrains economic growth. Economic difficulties make Pakistan dependent on assistance from outside powers, which have their own expectations and demands. These demands become fodder for conspiracy theories, which further feed the national sense of insecurity. The insecurity strengthens the military's hand and limits debate about what really ails Pakistan. A lesson for any country whose deep state threatens to take it over. Like America. They will happily run the country into the ground and keep it there. Posted by: Herb McCoy 2020-01-24 |
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