The rise of European colonialism changed the perception of life wherever it reached. It brought modern Western ideas and concepts to the lands which were not known to them partially or utterly. Some of those new ideas were indeed responsible to bring revolutionary change in natives life of the conquered land but what it left on the face of it were divided groups of people with conflicting interests. No doubt, nation-state and its concomitant bureaucratic structure, ambitious political theories, human rights and new economic opportunities came as an excellent package to the new born nations but what they completely lost was their self confidence, identity, cultural values and most importantly potential as a nation to groom honest and dedicated leadership.
world is changing spectacularly and swiftly. The question arises why it took so long?
It is yet another point to understand that the end of British colonialism was the beginning of Americans neo-colonialism in the garb of imperialism. This covert form of colonialism acted as a breather for Westerners especially Europeans, which took its effect by controlling the political theatre of the world through trained, tamed and corrupt leadership.
As a matter of fact, absence of quality leadership remains imminent in Arabs. Despite their booming economies there is no alternative in shape of credible leadership available to do the damage control especially with reference to volatile situation in Egypt and Libya. American interests in the region will be taken care of by filling up this vacuum by different viable options prompted and supported by Westerners. On the other hand, this quagmire can be a great source of inspiration for a poor but fortunately a democratic country like Pakistan, where vibrant media can trigger the public opinion.
JAWAD RAZA KHAN
Karachi