Self defeating
It is strange, to say the least, that Pakistan did everything it could to stay close to Saudi Arabia – basically by inching away from Iran – yet ended up snubbed by the Kingdom as well. Now there’s far lest warmth with Tehran and a seat way at the back of the crowd in Riyadh. Far from playing the bridge between the Muslim world’s Sunni and Shi’a powerhouses, Islamabad is now struggling to find a doable foothold in the Middle East. Don’t expect the foreign office to mend any fences anytime soon. You can only fix it, after all, if you admit it’s broken.
What comes now is far from clear. We can hardly go knocking on Iran’s door again anytime soon; not after endorsing all that trash talk against it in Riyadh. The hundred-something-billion arms deal involves aircraft, ships, long range missiles, complicated weaponry – not the kind of hardware you use against an outfit like Da’ish. It’s more large army/country specific. And we are not getting very far with the Saudis either. Clearly they’re not forgetting our refusal to play along in Yemen. That leaves us without much say in a crucial region where, not long ago, we enjoyed much clout. The sooner the government does something about it the better.
Before talking about his idea of a peaceful world he takes the reader back to a journey of incidents and happenings of historical significance distinguished by events of peace and war and leaders who have shaped our history. We have a refresher course on the role of institutions, such as the UN and others that were instrumental in promoting the idea of peaceful co-existence.
The book is divided into nineteen chapters. A few illustrations in the beginning of the book explain the whole idea. The writer draws on various books and encyclopedias in the shape of references. The book is a sincere effort to make this world a peaceful, prosperous, and happy place for all of us. At least a try can be made.
