By Dr. Sawraj Singh
The just-concluded North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Chicago proved that the West is desperately trying to maintain its hegemony in the world. The 25th Summit was the largest summit and was attended by about 60 countries and organizations, including the 28 NATO members. Afghanistan dominated the summit and the main thrust of the summit seemed to be that from a primarily European organization, NATO is becoming concerned with global issues. The NATO’s prime concern seems to be maintenance of the unipolar world order, which is based upon western hegemony and domination, and to prevent the emergence of a multipolar world order.
NATO was formed primarily to contain Soviet influence in Europe. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, there is a basic change in the goals of NATO. The rise of China and Asia, and the emergence of different power centers in the world—based upon different cultures—have led NATO to change its strategy and tactics.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, western scholars started to believe that Western democracy (western capitalism) has emerged victorious and the rest of the world is going to accept it. They saw the main conflict occurring between western civilization and Islamic civilization, which was going to resist western democracy. They saw countries such as Russia, China, and India as a middle force which could join either side.
However, subsequent developments have proven that the West was totally wrong in this prediction.
Countries such as China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela have all refused to follow the Western pattern and are following their own pattern. Similarly, the West is now aligning itself with the extreme and dogmatic Islamists against liberal Islamic leaders such as Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar al-Assad. The West is also inciting the Sunnis against the Shias, and is lining up with the Saudis against the forces in the Arab world who want more democratic rights for their people.
The main contradiction now seems to be between the West, which is trying to impose uniformity in the world, and the different cultures, which are trying to maintain diversity in the world. The western quest for uniformity is not based upon the concepts of unity and concern for the welfare of the people, but is borne out of its greed to maximize its profits by converting the world into a global market.
NATO has conceded defeat in Afghanistan and will pull its forces out by 2014. The Afghanistan security force will be trained to replace the NATO force. Afghanistan will be given 4 billion dollars for this purpose. NATO will continue to negotiate with the Taliban to transfer power to them.
The growing strain between America and Pakistan has become obvious. President Obama refused to meet Zardari to discuss the Afghanistan issue. America wants Pakistan to re-open the truck routes which supply NATO forces. Pakistan is reluctant to do this because the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) feels that it may lose the elections because of the issue. A majority of Pakistani people are opposed to this. Pakistan has put forth three conditions:
• America should publicly apologize for killing 26 Pakistani soldiers during the NATO airstrike on November 27, 2011
• America should reconsider its policy of using drones
• America should increase the fee of the trucks from 250 dollars per truck to 5,000 dollars per truck
America has refused to accept these conditions and relations have deteriorated. Further deterioration within the America-Pakistan relations has occurred due to the recent sentencing of Dr. Shakil Afridi, who gave the CIA information leading to the tracking of Osama Bin Laden. Afridi has been sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined $3,500 under the Frontier Crimes Regulations for conspiring against the state.
All of the desperate efforts of NATO to maintain western hegemony are not going to work because this means imposing uniformity, while nature works on the principle of diversity. Different cultures have naturally evolved, and to finish cultural diversity and impose uniformity means going against nature. When man confronts nature, then he is bound to lose. The best thing man can do is to live in harmony with nature.
The present unipolar world order is based upon uniformity, therefore unnatural. The emerging multipolar world order is based upon diversity. Diversity is compatible with nature. Ultimately, the philosophy of co-existence and harmony with nature will prevail.
As far as Afghanistan is concerned, NATO cannot impose a regime there. It is up to the people of Afghanistan to change their own government. Afghanistan is a part of South Asia; therefore, the countries of South Asia should get together and discuss its future. Eventually, forming a South Asian Economic Alliance is the best option for the people of South Asia, including the people of Afghanistan.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
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