“Robert Clive of India.”
There has been a wonderful response to Michael van der Galien’s post Britain’s Lost Soul.
I must say here that President George W. Bush and his team have done an excellent job of brainwashing people that “evil” nations of Iraq and Iran would swallow the Western nations. And this fear has paralysed public discourse in the USA.
(I am surprised that in the comments that followed Michael’s post, Afghanistan and Bin Laden do not figure at all! Another Bush victory in brainwashing and diversionary tactics!)
This is also revealed in good measure in the comments which argue whether Britain should have sacrificed its service personnel in Iran or let the episode end without bloodshed (whatever the perceived humiliation).
In some comments (in Michael’s post) attempt has been made to recall the imperial majesty of this old colonial power to say ‘what a let down’ in this war of nerves with Iran! And because of this episode ‘Britain has lost its soul’, so goes the argument!
There is an old saying: Whatever goes up must come down! So it’s a cyclical order…the empires rise and die.
Why are we reprimanding Britain for not living up to its past reputation of using its imperial muscle to dominate the world?
Britain is a part of the modern world and trying its best to make amends and seek a dialogue on the basis of equality with other countries, including its former colonies.
In good faith Britain tried to assist the US administration in its ‘war on terror’. Except for Tony Blair and very few in his team, others have now realised that the real intent of this ‘war’ is anything but ending terrorism.
British hostage issue and its resolution has given a first clear indication of the beginning of the parting of the ways between the hawkish Bush administration and the British government (despite whatever friendly noises Tony Blair makes towards his pal in the White House).
Britain has lost its reputation (but not its soul) by openly aligning with the questionable decisions of the Bush administration.
As compared with other European colonists, the British fared much better as far the governance of their colonies. The French and the Dutch come nowhere near them.
Despite the usual aberrations and highhandedness associated with colonial powers, the British set up institutions and traditions that are still continuing in colonies that later became free, including India.
“Fair play, justice and democracy,” are the abiding legacy left behind by the British colonists. And don’t forget the railways that have become the life-line in the former colonies now.
It is not just the British but the entire Western nations are witnessing a decline. It is cyclical order you know.
Once upon a time there was Mesopotamia, the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran…
“The geographical area watered by two rivers – the Euphrates and the Tigris – is often referred to as the ‘Cradle of Civilization’, since it was here that the first literate societies developed in the late 4th millennium BC, using a highly sophisticated writing system in the context of the emergence of the first cities and complex state bureaucracies.”
And the West at that time lived in dark ages…
“Mesopotamia housed some of the world’s most ancient states with highly developed social complexity. The region was one of the famous four riverine civilizations (where writing was first invented), along with the Nile valley in Egypt, the Indus Valley in the Indian Subcontinent and Yellow River valley in China.”
And now the West calls Iraq and Iran barbaric? It is the cyclic order of things you know!
If you wish to read further please click here…
And here…
The reason why Britain became a successful and powerful coloniser was it did its homework well before invading the countries, and even while they ruled the colonies.
Britain is unlikely to lose its soul. Let us not judge Britain by its present political leaders, but the level of public/political discourse in that country.
Once I had asked Arthur Ashe, when he won the tennis championship at Wimbledon, which city he would like to settle in old age. He replied: “London…I believe that England is the most civilised place on earth and London is most cosmopolitan…”
And I don’t think much has changed since to declare that Britain has lost its soul…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.