In ‘Another “Great Debate:” The National Interest of the
United States,’ Hans Morgenthau talks about American foreign policy. He
highlights several aspects of America’s foreign policy including the American tradition
in foreign policy and the different theories used to describe the motivations
behind the policies supported by the foreign office, including others. Another point
which he elaborates on concerns national interest, which play an important part
of foreign policy formation; and the fact that sometimes, other-national
interests may dethrone national interests. One of the ways in which the
priorities of others may supersede national interests is through treason.
However, it is the other reason which he presents which intrigues me.
He talks about how America is a country made up of “foreigners,”
and thus, there exist a plethora of allegiances in the nation. He mentions that
because of these varied backgrounds, it is possible that the loyalties of
citizens are not tied with the state and that people might deliberately try and
promote the interests of the foreign governments and/ or religious bodies and/
or international organizations.
This concept, I believe, is extremely relevant as far as the
security situation in Pakistan is concerned. Terrorist attacks occur with such
an alarming frequency in Pakistan that, sadly, their manifestations fail to shock
us anymore. Every day there is a headline splashed across newspapers conveying
the newest tragedy. And although, there are always those present who promptly
and proudly own up to these acts of violence; their claims do not stop people
from forming their own theories regarding the incidents. The most popular and
readily accepted conspiracy theories revolve around the involvement of India
and their foreign intelligence agency, RAW. Another favorite involves the Jews
and yet another, features the American agencies. It is believed that these
foreign elements are working arduously to ruin the internal stability of
Pakistan and side by side, shatter its external image. People also reveal
(during the ever-popular drawing room discussions) that in order to achieve
their aims, these agencies have installed their spies in Pakistan who gather
all the intelligence for them and carry out all the dirty work. These theories
have also found their way in to popular media, with memes showcasing the
lighter side of these issues and movies, such as Waar, depicting spy’s
in-action.
Morgenthau spoke of interests which counter the policies
promoted by the state. The activities allegedly undertaken by the agencies
mentioned above are such that they counter the national interests of Pakistan. In
addition, the groups which actually claim responsibility for the attacks, such
as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are also those which have support
amongst certain segments of society due to their manipulation of religion. And
so, there exist many people in Pakistan which further the cause of such
fundamentalist groups as well.
Thus, in my opinion Morgenthau’s work regarding national
interest can be understood in light of the current situation in Pakistan and
so, it has as much relevance today as when it was published.
I really like the way, you relate this article with Pakistan's current situation.
ReplyDeleteGreat piece and I enjoyed the pics. I
ReplyDeleteagree that these external elements are often pointed to for being behind the malaise in Pakistan and there may be some elements of truth behind the conspiracy theories. That being said, even if they are partially true, it just goes to show how powerful national interests really are. This is why realism is still a good framework to use to understand international relations even today.