CIVILIZATIONS IN BATTLEFIELD OR BATTLES FOR OILFIELDS
Prof. Ghulam Qasim Khan Marwat*
In the age of rabid extremism and
fanaticism, when the human mind is making frantic drive in
to frenzy and madness, it seems really hard and difficult to
talk sense, see reason and call the spade a spade. Today the
world of Islam is extremely angry and annoyed which is
expressed in its violent, wild and unrestrained reaction to
the contemporary emerging international situation.
Attempts are made to know and
understand the reasons and causes which are responsible for
the present state of mind of the Muslim world. Different
scholars, philosophers, statesmen and strategists have put
forward different analysis, explanations and interpretations
in the light of different theories and propositions. Amongst
those, Samuel P. Huntington, one of the West’s most imminent
political strategists has presented a challenging framework
for understanding the realities of global politics in the
next century. His theory of Clash of Civilization and the
remaking of world order is a provocative analysis of the
state of world politics after the fall of communism. It
explains how civilizations has replaced nations,
ideologies and economic interests as the driving force in
the global politics and offers a brilliant analysis of the
current climate and future possibilities of our world’s
volatile political culture. His theory stirred up more
debate and people were variously impressed, intrigued,
outraged, frightened and perplexed by the argument that the
central and most dangerous dimension of the emerging global
politics would be conflict between differing civilizations.1
This theory gave a central role to Islamic
civilization in a future conflict between the west and the
rest2, that’s why it became a part of Muslim
faith and the so-called defenders of faith initiated
preparations for their crusades against the west. This
theory not only appealed to the mind of extremists, fanatics
and fundamentalists amongst the Muslims, but also misled and
deceived the intelligent, imaginative and enlightened Muslim
intelligentsia who today entertain genuine fears from the
west on the ground of perceived threats to their faith,
culture, values and civilization.
This paper is seeking to understand,
explain and analyze the nature of the actual factors, which
are at work behind the façade of the clash of civilization
in the light of contemporary realities as the emerging world
order is gradually unfolding itself with all its
inconsistencies and contradictions.
Analysis can’t be made in vacuum and
needs rational theoretical framework. The arguments and
reasons employed in this analysis are developed with in the
same frame of reference from which the theory itself evolves
and emerge. Let us go to the historical background and see
the pattern of evolution of the global system which
gradually culminated in to the present unipolar world order.
The
twentieth century witnessed epoch making events of human
history. It saw a painful dissolution of Ottoman Empire in
the wake of World War I, which was a natural outcome of
multipolarism. It sustained the agonizing strains of the
World War II and a consequent dissolution of British Empire
under the notion of so-called de-colonization. After the end
of World War II multipolarism was strengthened and
institutionalized in the form of UNO3 and other
international and regional organizations. The multipolar
world of World War I and II was characterized by some
features and dynamics, which provided a broader frame of
reference under which the nature and direction of events and
factors could be analyzed and understood. The broader
context of multipolarism provided a plain canvas on which
different actors and world powers were playing power games.
The students of international politics were required to
carry out their analysis with in established theoretical
framework of the age.
In the
context of multipolarism, the questions of war and peace
were simply associated with the themes of democracy, freedom
and liberty as professed by the champions of free world on
the one hand and fascism, despotism and dictatorship as
practiced and promoted by the Axis powers on the other. But
the real and actual cause of bitterness and clash was the
unequal and uneven possession and occupation of colonial
assets, which had been a main source of economic prosperity
and success of all the powerful nations. Wars for economic
interest were waged in the name of holy and lofty human
ideals and values like democracy, freedom and liberty.
The
context of multipolarism, however, did not last long and
gradually tended to shift towards bipolarism after the World
War II. This shift gave birth to new era of cold war in
which two main and major super powers, the USA and USSR, led
their respective camps in a tensely polarized world 4.
The bipolar world of the cold war was also characterized by
some distinguished features and dynamics, which constituted
a clear frame of reference and paradigm under which factors
and actors were moving with a very clear and understandable
predictability.
The
central themes of the new context of bipolarism were arms
race, proxy wars, super powers involvement in regional
disputes, regime changes, revolutions through clandestine
maneuvering, manipulation of secret intelligent agencies
like KGB and CIA and sometime resort to direct nuclear
threats and blackmailing. The cold war, however, provided an
understandable theoretical framework in which the nature and
direction of events could be visualized and predicted as the
factors and actors were operating in the light of clear and
stated objectives. The US and USSR expressed their rivalry
in terms of social, political, cultural, religious and
ideological values but the real irritant in their relations
was their opposite and divergent world views on economics as
professed by their irreconcilable ideologies i.e. Capitalism
and Socialism. The cold war could be simply defined as an
ideological clash punctuated by and rooted in antagonistic
worldviews on economy. So it can be safely asserted that
economic factor was a major and potential driving force
behind the dynamics of the cold war era.
The
interesting and intriguing aspect of the cold war rivalry
was that the Muslim world had predominantly put its weight
in favor of the capitalist camp and Islam was used as a
bulwark by western imperial powers against USSR and
Socialism. Afghanistan was used as battlefield for a final
round of combat in the long drawn ideological war where USSR
was made to bleed indefinitely. Simply enough, Shia
Islamic revolution of Iran, the rising Sunni
orthodoxy in Pakistan under Zia, the Wahabi
fundamentalist state of Saudi Arabia and Ikhwans of
Egypt demonstrated unbelievable and unprecedented unity of
thought and action under the American and western patronage.
The potential unity of the Ummah and its jehadi
strength was placed at the disposal of western
imperialism which really proved to be a decisive factor in
the defeat of Socialism and the consequent liquidation of
Soviet empire.5
The
American victory in Afghanistan and the dissolution of the
Soviet Union brought about radical changes in the existing
bipolar international system. A new age of unipolarism has
dawned on the world scene, which is dominated by USA as a
sole supreme power without any rival and challenge.
The
emergence of the new global scene of unipolarism was viewed
and perceived by different people in a different ways.
Fokoyama viewed the emergence of the age of unipolarism as
the end of history. He theorized that in the absence
of dialectical challenge and potential difference the world
history was going to suffer a dead end. He believed that the
unchallenged domination of the only and one supreme power
would ensure stability, tranquility and peace in the
emerging international system in the wake of unipolarism. He
visualized that the absence of rivalries would minimize the
chances of eventful wars, clashes and conflicts on the
global scene. His vision seemed to be philosophically
consistent with and in harmony to the unfolding and emerging
global realities. But the post cold war unipolar world,
however, did not take the shape and direction as predicted
by Fokoyama.
The
emergence of unipolar world was viewed and perceived by an
American strategist Samuel P. Huntington in a different way
from a different angle. Rejecting Fokoyama’s notion of the
absence of potential difference in the world balance of
power, he indicated and identified new elements of potential
difference in various cultures and civilizations, which
could provide dialectical propulsion to the movement of
history. He predicted that potential difference between
various civilizations could be a potential cause of clashes,
conflicts and wars in future. Ruling out the possibilities
of peace, stability and tranquility in future, he indicated
a dynamic and eventful movement of history in terms of
clashes, wars and conflicts on the fault lines of
civilizations 6.
As a
great strategist, he paved a way for a proactive and dynamic
American role in the world affairs. As a sole supreme power
of the unipolar world, America needs to reconstruct and
reshape the global system to its greatest benefit and
advantage. The military, political and strategic victory has
to be translated into commercial and economic domination and
exploitation of the world resources by international
capitalism. Monopolistic capitalism has not only to
strengthen its position but has to eliminate all future
threats to its existence and expansion 7. The
notion of clash of civilization as a great strategy of
modern imperialistic adventurism has been serving the
interest of capitalist world in different ways. First, it
has provided justification to proactive and preemptive
adventurism of USA in unipolar world. Secondly it has
concealed the real economic and commercial motives behind
the wars of the present age and has used cultural, religious
and civilizational differences and sensitivities as a cause
of international bitterness. Under this strategy they
attacked the economic resources of the Middle East and
Central Asia and the victims are made to defend their
religious, cultural and civilizational strongholds, which is
indeed a very successful tactical strategy of deception.
Theoretically, in a unipolar world, as a sole supreme power
USA does not have any rival, enemy and potential contestant
with a matching strength, but for the justification of its
dynamic global role she desperately needs to have one. If
there is no enemy and threat, she needs to create it with a
perceived threat, because the presence of enemy and threat
could provide US with excuses and moral justifications for
its international adventurism.
It may
sound very strange and paradoxical that when in the age of
cold war America was looking for friends and allies, she
found very reliable and trustworthy allies amongst the
retrogressive, conservative and fundamentalist elements and
outfits of the world of Islam. On the other hand, in the
post cold war unipolar world when America needs enemy and
rival, she co-opted and recruited the same conservative,
retrogressive and obscurantist elements from the world of
Islam as enemies, under the new label of Islamic
fundamentalism, militarism and extremism. They have been
assigned a new role of a very strange enemy who is nowhere
but exist everywhere. Yesterday these elements served
American interests as friends and today they serve American
strategic interests as enemies. An ordinary student of
strategic studies can very easily understand this evident
fact that consciously or unconsciously the Taliban in
Afghanistan, Saddam in Iraq and Al-Qaida every where,
Chechen and Uzbek in Central Asia have served the cause of
American imperialism instead of Islam and the Islamic world.
They operated as regional catalysts and invited
American adventurism under the principle of pre-emptive
pro-activism, which resulted in the military occupation of
those lands of Islamic world by America where oil and gas
reserves and market potentials were predominantly available.
This
is not for the first time that religious passions and
obscurantism has been used as an instrument of imperialist
policy in the global power game. Religious obscurantism had
played in the hands of the British imperialism particularly
in its conspiracies hatched against the Ottoman Empire. It
was also used as an instrument of imperial policy in India
for the consolidation and defense of British Indian Empire.
Some times they encouraged Jihad 8 and some time
they undermined it, as in the case of Punjab, Jihad was
encouraged against Sikh Shahi government and after the
occupation and colonization of Punjab they undermined it
through the false prophet hood of Mirza Ghulam Ahamd
Qadiani. 9
In its
war against Russian Empire extremism, militarism and
fundamentalism was encouraged but after the dissolution of
USSR they gave it a new role in which it is serving their
interest in another way. Today RAND Corporation has
suggested the encouragement of modernist shade of Islam in
its report to National Security Research Division 10,
which have created a storm in a cup of tea.
Similarly some pro-modernist measures have been introduced
in the school and college Curricula in Pakistan, which have
generated a very hot ideological debate; but at the same
time we forget that the existing orthodox and conservative
radicalism was a brain child of the same imperialist policy
makers, who through their direct and indirect influence
inculcated it in our mind by means of our school curricula
as developed by Zia and earlier regimes as it suited to
their imperialist interests. These historical and
contemporary facts also suggest that religion has been
interpreted in different ways in different times in the
light of imperialists and colonialist policies and interests
and has been used as an instrument in the global power game.
This is indeed the worst form of instrumentalism.
The
Theory of Clash of Civilization has facilitated the use,
abuse and exploitation of religious passions, cultural
sensitivities and civilizational absurdities in the global
power game, concealing the real, material, economic and
commercial motives behind the blind and inadvertent
adventurism of the agents of the Wall Street Capitalist
fundamentalism. Clashes, conflicts and wars for economic
interests and resources are waged in the garb of cultural,
religious and social aggression and the attention of the
victims is successfully diverted from the real issues i.e.
oil, gas, mineral wealth and market potentials of the Muslim
world. In the words of James Baker, the former US Secretary
of State for foreign affairs, “Oil is our civilization and
we will not allow any demon to sit on it”12. But
in the hue and cries against American attacks on Afghanistan
and Iraq not a single reference was ever made to the
protection, defense and safeguards of our economic interests
and resources, which stand occupied. Muslims of the world
are rather made to believe that their faith, culture,
civilization and religion was the target of attack; and they
have been asked to strengthen, fortify and defend their
positions on those fronts.
The
strategy of clash of civilization has worked successfully
and has attained its goals; because in the wake of attacks
on Afghanistan and Iraq, America succeeded to occupy the oil
wealth and resources of Central Asia and Middle East13
and we remained busy in defending our faith, culture and
civilization. In Central Asia and The Middle no
civilizations are on the fault line, battles are actually
going on in the oil fields.
Under
the notion of clash of civilization the world in general and
the Muslim world in particular has been pushed to the
age of deception; which is featured and
characterized by deceit, fraud, disinformation and confusion14.
In this age what is real is not visible and what is visible
is not real. In this age friends can’t be helpful,
therefore, enemies are created and are used in the service
of national interests. In this age democracy is professed
but dictatorship and despotism is encouraged; enlightened
moderation is professed, but the forces of obscurantism,
fanaticism and extremism get strengthened; mujahideens
are trained in one place and killed in another place;
Wahabi fundamentalism is encouraged in Saudi Arabia and
the same Taliban fundamentalism is crushed in Afghanistan;
Shia radicalism is despised in Iran but encouraged to take a
center stage in Iraq; religious forces are denied their
democratic mandate in Algeria but have been promoted to a
position of partnership in Turkey and Pakistan; moderate,
secular, democratic parties and leaders are denied even a
trivial role in the political system of true democracy
and religious forces are co-opted as friendly opposition;
India and Pakistan are enemies in the regional context, but
are partners and allies in the American war against
terrorism; Osama Bin Laden is American enemy No.1, but at
the same time is a business partner of Bush family. 15
All
these inconsistencies and contradictions of the age of
deception are fully in harmony with the new world order
evolving under the notion of clash of civilization. In this
world order the will of the only and one supreme power is
expressed in an artificial and synthetic dialectical process
of historical forces and factors which are created,
controlled, directed and manipulated by US and are gradually
unfolded in a form of synthetic movement of history.
Theoretically, in the unipolar world, in the absence of
potential difference, rival and challenges, we did not need
to see the horrors of war and destruction. The world could
have peace, stability and harmony in the global system. But
unfortunately artificial conditions are created in which
artificial events are stage-managed through artificial
factors and actors. Through the intelligent use of the
science of history and through a complete command over the
material and non-material factors, the sole supreme power is
shaping and making the contours of the global system to its
own benefits and advantages. Friends and enemies, all are
serving the cause and interests of the only supreme power,
wherever, America needs to intervene the invisible enemy
gets appeared on the scene, strike and invite a vigorous
military operation, which never find the enemy, but play
havoc with the life of innocent victims. Osamas, Mulla
Omers, Saddams and Zarqavis never get killed, but the poor
and helpless people of Afghanistan and Iraq are killed in
thousands for no fault and no reason.
The
militancy, fanaticism, fundamentalism and extremism is
simply used as a source which provides a fuel to the hell of
imperial wars i.e. a life and blood of the young people, who
are trained, indoctrinated and motivated for a war in the
name of religion and civilization
Asia
is going through a very difficult period of its history. The
Middle East and Central Asian oil wealth and market
potentials are the real causes of our difficulties. These
have invited and attracted aggressive imperialistic
adventurism of America, which operates with free hand in the
region with out any reasonable resistance and response.
Imperial attacks and colonial occupations have to be
resisted through the forces of nationalism and national
consciousness. Obscurantism and extremism is surely not a
right response to the calculated and calibrated attempts of
colonial and imperial aggression. It may rather help
strengthen its hold and position.
Calculated efforts are required to
create an environment of consciousness about the real issues
involved at national and international level. A serious,
thought-out and rational response with a conscious
nationalist spirit can be a right and matching response to
the present historical situation. RAND Foundation’s report
is very clear and explicit on this question and proposes to
discourage ‘secularist alliance with anti-US forces on such
grounds as nationalism and leftist ideology.16
References
1. Samuel P.Huntrington; The Clash of Civilization:
Remaking of world order. A Touch Stone Book, Simon and
Schuster, New York (1996) P.13.
2. Ibid. P.183
3. Norman D. Palmer. Hower C. Parkin; International
relations; The World Community in Transition;
Houghton Miffin Company; Boston (1969) P.310.
4. Joseph Franckel; International relations. Oxford
University Press London (1969) P.79.
5. Steve Coll; Ghost Wars: The secrete history of
CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Ladon from Soviet Invasion to
Sept. 10 2001; The Penguin Press New York (2004). P.26.
6. Samuel P.Huntington Op.cit. P.246.
7. M.B Naqvi: “The Economic Agenda” in The News
Islamabad Feb.16 2005.
8. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan; The Causes of Indian Revolt.
Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore (1997), P.51.
9. Mohammad Saleem; Tarikh-e- Nazria-e-Pakistan; Idara
Taleem-o-Tehqeeq Tazneem-e-Asatiza Pakistan. Lahore. (1985)
P.116.
10. Cheryl Bernard, Civil Democratic Islam, Partners,
resources and Strategies (Santa Monika: Rand Corporation,
2003) [database online]; available from RAND URL:
http://www.rand.org/ (P.61)
11. Waleed Ziad; “The Jihad Industry”/ “Ideologies for
Sale” in The News Islamabad. March, 21 2004.
12. The News Islamabad. Oct, 21 2004.
13. M.K Bhadra Kumar; “The Great game for Caspian Oil”
in The News Islamabad, April, 21 2005.
14. Adel Safty; “Campaign of Deception” in The News
Islamabad Feb, 15 2005.
15. The News Islamabad.
16. Cheryl Bernard, Op.cit. P.64
Back to Table of Contents |
Back to Top |
