Beyond the war path

With the advent of Trump as the US president, America seems to have turned into a war-like state rather than a responsible superpower that is vying to the lead global efforts for peace and stability. His address in the UN General Assembly – in which he hurled brazen threats on North Korea, labelled Iran as a ‘rogue state’, threatened to pull out of the nuclear deal that enjoyed the backing of the UN and the EU and directed warning shots at Venezuela – amply demonstrated his dystopian vision.

Using the UN forum – which is supposed to promote peace and reconciliation in the world – to express his bizarre and bellicose views was extremely regrettable to say the least. Trump has already backed out of the Paris Climate Agreement and his recently-announced policy on Afghanistan and South Asia has rattled the prospects of peace in the region. All these acts of lunacy reinforce his credentials as a bull in the China shop that is inebriated by the military prowess at its command and is out to trample and destroy anything that comes in his way.

What Trump is professing and seems bent upon doing surely does not enjoy the support of all the Americans who also look askance at his designs and loyalty to the US. The petition filed by millions of Americans for the impeachment of Trump on grounds of suspicions that he committed treason by conspiring with Russia to tamper the results of 2016 elections and the petitions filed by the people of 23 states for secession are indicative of the division that Trump has created in the US.

These initiatives may be small stones but could produce a ripple effect and Trump could eventually prove to be Gorbachev of the US. History is a witness to the fact that war-like states are fated to perish.

While nobody in their right minds can support and condone what North Korea is doing on the nuclear front, there is also no escaping the fact that it has been pushed into ramping-up its threats and missile tests because of the threats hurled by Trump. Using the logic of Trump – that the US has the right to defend its interests – North Korea is also entitled to take appropriate measures to ward off threats to its security.

But the world cannot afford such a massive nuclear confrontation. A negotiated solution to the stand-off between North Korea and the US is the most desirable option as contended by China and Russia. Trump is probably not aware of the horrors of war – particularly the nuclear war because it has never been fought on American soil. He better ask the Japanese whom the US used the deadly weapon against.

The danger is that if Trump carries out his threat against North Korea, the US and its allies in the region may not emerge unscathed from the act of madness. A few military analysts and military strategists believe that North Korea has the capability to hit the American mainland as well, which could pose a deadly spectacle. We can hope that the voices of rationality in the US will strive to bring sanity back to the Trump administration.

To ensure peace in the world and maintain the sovereignty of nation-states that Trump has espoused in his address, a saner approach is needed to resolve disputes and conflicts through engagement and dialogue at bilateral or multilateral forums rather than military might. The US must abandon its imperialistic inclinations if it truly desires peace in the world.

Unfortunately, there are no visible signs that it desires peace across the world. An incisive look at all the disputes and conflicts around the work reveals that the US is connected to them in some way or the other. The US is also responsible for nuclear proliferation to a great extent. On the one hand it cries itself hoarse and even puts pressure on various states to not tread the nuclear path and on the other it also encourages a few states to enhance their nuclear prowess to promote its own strategic and commercial interests.

The transfer of the civil nuclear agreement with India by the US and its allies constitutes a serious breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which forbids this facility to states that are not signatories to the pact. The attempts to seek NSG membership for India and deny the same privilege to Pakistan are glaring examples of the duplicitous stance of the US in this regard. The international nuclear watchdogs through their reports and even a US senator have testified to the fact that India has enhanced its nuclear arsenal after the agreement and the NSG waiver that the US manoeuvred for the latter.

The policy on Afghanistan and South Asia – in which Trump opted for a military solution in Afghanistan and pilloried Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorist groups – was another recipe to take the conflict to a higher level than finding an amicable solution. Pakistan rightly took exception to Trump’s allegations. Parliament and the National Security Committee rejected the allegations and stood firm on Pakistan’s role in fighting militancy. They unequivocally announced the country’s commitment to cooperate and collaborate in the war on terror and reiterate the resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned negotiated solution that is supported by the regional countries. It also lobbied intensely with the regional countries to win support for the position taken by it.

It was probably due to the success of this diplomatic offensive and the unswerving resolve expressed by the civilian and military leadership of the country that a discernible climb-down was observed in the attitude of the US administration. Though President Trump talked about safe havens for terrorist in certain countries in his UN address, he did not mention Pakistan’s name as he did while announcing his policy on Afghanistan and South Asia.

Another indication in the regard was the meeting of the US Vice-President Mike Pence with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The meeting occurred on the request of the former. Abbasi reportedly made a strong presentation on Pakistan’s stance on the issue and also told him that the safe havens existed on the other side from where terrorist acts were carried out against Pakistan. He added that Pakistan was taking all possible measures to prevent across-the-border movements. He drove home the point that Afghanistan and the US also needed to do their part instead of asking Pakistan to do more.

While acknowledging Pakistan’s efforts and importance in ensuring peace in the region and eliminating terrorism, the vice-president did express the desire to work with the country to guarantee peace and security in the region. He also said that a US delegation would visit Pakistan in October to further discuss the issues involved. These developments reflect the positive gains of Pakistan’s diplomacy.

We can only hope that the ground realities in Afghanistan and the resolve of the regional countries, including Pakistan, to find a solution through peaceful means and with the tacit support of regional counties will result in a change in America’s thinking on resolving the conflict. This is the only way to end it.

The writer is a freelance contributor.

Email: ashpak10@gmail.com