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The fall of a "Golden Sparrow"
Ripan Kumar Biswas
Ripan.Biswas@yahoo.com
It may be a fairy tale, fable, or mythological tale today, but once the Indian Subcontinent was called as the "Golden Sparrow" as it was the wealthiest and most prosperous place in the world.
The Indian subcontinent, the great landmass of South Asia, is the home of one of the world's oldest and most influential civilizations. During the reign of Asoka (273 BCE to 232 BCE) or the aegis of the Moghul Empire (1526-1858), there was no crime at all. People were equally rich with their houses filled with gold and food and lived peacefully and cooperatively with their fellows.
It was the start of the Indus Valley Civilization that flourished in the Subcontinent and was really well-developed in comparison with other civilizations in the world at the same time. Starting from that time and then going over to the Vedic age, Mahajanapadas, Persian era, Greek Era, Magadha Empire, Maurya dynasty, the Golden Era, Gupta dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Era, and finally the British regime, which however, was a miserable time; each of this eras that have gone by have so much of history and culture of patriotism, cooperation and coalescence, but nothing crucial or inhuman like the present days in this region. The Golden Sparrow for abundance in everything has gone forever and is turned into a dead bird.
The euphoria started dissipating while the region experienced a long history of conflict, war and terrorism due to political instability, rampant corruption, and civil conflict. Including Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, Indian subcontinent is one of the world's most populous regions, where multiple forms of conflict and violence traverse territorial frontiers, linking domestic politics with foreign policy and complicating the search for peace and security in South Asia and beyond. Indian subcontinent encompasses deeply contested territories, histories and ideologies; rapid economic growth and profound poverty; democratic polities and authoritarian regimes; an aspiring great power and failing states.
Indian Subcontinent that geographically covers almost all of the countries of South Asia has become the cynosure of global attention after the nuclear weaponization of its two major constituents-India and Pakistan. In the perception of external observers this development combined with the existing patterns of conflictual relationships, large conventional military machines and military dictatorships and authoritarian regimes intensifies the potential for conflict in South Asia. Indian Subcontinent regionally presents a picture of marked contrasts in all fields politically, militarily, economically, and socially. Such an explosive mix of factors make it imperative that one explores meaningful conflict resolution initiatives and measures to divert South Asia from the path of destruction to peace and prosperity. In the absence of such initiatives, one may get confronted with small fires leading to conflagration. In this sense, a conflict prone South Asia
does become a global concern.
To live in peace and security, everyone needs to be free from violence and feel safe and protected against threats. It is in peace and through peace that the nations of South Asia can able to secure the future of their peoples and contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security and the attainment of common ends of mankind. But the region is passing through a turbulent phase due to cross-border terrorism, internal dissensions, changing societies with their inherent difficulties and the challenges of intolerance in modern society
South Asia is viewed as a region of protracted animosity due to a host of reasons like political, ethno-cultural and religious conflicts of various nature, occasional terrorist activities with cross-border ramifications, illegal trafficking of arms, etc. The region, therefore, remains politically volatile with the potentialities to threaten peace and stability in the areas both within and beyond it. Attacking Sri Lankan cricketers by a dozen of gunmen in the Pakistani city of Lahore, killing of Bangladesh army officers by a group of Bangladesh Rifles mutineers in Dhaka, or shooting down of foreigners by a group of militants in Mumbai, India, have drawn the rapt attention of many in recent times. The attack added to the growing realization that South Asia is now the principal crucible in the global conflict against terrorism and militant activity.
Globalization has brought people across the world nearer to each other. It has also brought civilizations and cultures closer together, providing novel arenas for more intense dialogue and more communication platforms for mutual and sustained understanding. The notion that ours is a global neighborhood has become reality. But conflict driven countries that suffer from terrorism are susceptible to instability, insecurity and poverty. Besides the major conflicts in the region between India and Pakistan, other countries such as, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are victims of terrorism.
The emergence of radical Islamic movements in South Asia in the 1990s may be traced to the conjunction of several phenomena. Among these are reaction to globalization -- which has been particularly associated with the western and European countries in the minds of regional elites -- frustration with repression by secularist governments, the desire to create a pan-Islamic South Asia, reaction to the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the arrival of terrorist veterans of years of fighting in Afghanistan. The forging of connections between Al Qaeda and domestic radical Islamic groups in South Asia is part of this trend.
Terrorism here is understood as being premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. South Asia, which had experienced very low levels of organized terrorism until the early 1980s, has undergone a dramatic transformation to become the scene of the bloodiest terrorist violence in the world. South Asia is a region where terrorists are displaying increasing sophistication in their strikes, not only in weaponry but also in ways of carrying out attacks. Combating terrorism has become the biggest political challenge to the national leadership in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or other South Asian countries.
It is unfair and inaccurate, however, to point the finger just at South Asia that it descends into terror's vortex whereas terrorism has indeed become a global menace, and today no nation or region or community is totally immune from terrorist violence or from its effects. Terrorism is not only one fact that hinders development and progress in South Asia. Human life is threatened here with environmental crises, conflicts, endemic poverty, natural calamities, and an arms race. But terrorism and repression blockade all the sustainable development and human security in this region.
Countering the widespread threat of terrorism, the SAARC can implement the current protocol for cooperation against terrorism and bring it in line with the international norms. The establishment of SAARC in South Asia aimed to bring stability to South Asia by enhancing regional cooperation.
To build fresh economic and social structures and to give live to the golden sparrow once again, South Asia should reinforce mutual cooperation that could provide a holistic model for peace and development in South Asia.
Friday, March 06, 2009, New York
Ripan Kumar Biswas is a freelance writer based in New York
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