Watching America features a superb piece translated from Urdu from the Pakistani paper, Nawaiwaqt: Pakistani Democracy May Depend on U.S. Election.
The writer notes an extraordinary and consistent correspondence throughout modern history between, on the one hand, Democratic Presidents in the U.S. and the health of democracy in Pakistan, and on the other, Republican Presidents in the U.S. and the strength of Dictatorship in Pakistan. He cites numerous examples, and implores his countrymen to assert themselves to free Pakistan from this pseudo-dependence on U.S. presidential cycles. A Democrat will serve Pakistani democracy, but the Pakistanis need to re-enfranchise themselves by making their government independent of American political choices
While the piece provides what to most Westerners will be a surprising insight into the reaction of one very important country to the U.S. Presidential elections, it offers something of more general import. The historical summary it provides shows how deep, established, internally consistent and rational, are the assumptions and paradigms of those whom the next U.S. president will have to influence, but which will make that influence all the more difficult to wield. The fundamental problem, it seems, is that decades of history that establish a trend in the relations between two countries may take decades to undo.
But meanwhile, we (and that includes Hillary, Barack, John, the other John, Rudy, Mitt and the rest) should all be reading pieces like this, so that we can at least meet our interlocutors (who also happen to have nuclear weapons, be in the neighborhood of our Public Enemy No. 1 etc.) where they are, and know enough to begin to argue, why the future may not be like the past, and realize the changes we want to see.
Read “Pakistani Democracy May Depend on U.S. Elections” here on WatchingAmerica.com
Robin Koerner is a British-born citizen of the USA, who currently serves as Academic Dean of the John Locke Institute. He holds graduate degrees in both Physics and the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He is also the founder of WatchingAmerica.com, an organization of over 100 volunteers that translates and posts in English views about the USA from all over the world.
Robin may be best known for having coined the term “Blue Republican” to refer to liberals and independents who joined the GOP to support Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency in 2012 (and, in so doing, launching the largest coalition that existed for that candidate).
Robin’s current work as a trainer and a consultant, and his book If You Can Keep It , focus on overcoming distrust and bridging ideological division to improve politics and lives. His current project, Humilitarian, promotes humility and civility as a basis for improved political discourse and outcomes.