Interview with Ahmed Rashid : The West Should 'Change Its Approach to Failing States'

[sysop]

Ahmed Rashid, one of the world's foremost experts on Afghanistan, once welcomed US intervention in the failed state. But in a SPIEGEL interview, the Pakistani journalist says the West's model for development is fundamentally flawed and must be changed.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-874034.html

[KhanZubair]

"Our elites are spoiled by permanent foreign aid and therefore find it difficult to change course. Pakistan needs someone who stands up and says: Fundamentalism is bad, capitalism is good. This region harbors enormous potential. Pakistan could become the hub for the energy that is transported from Central Asia to South Asia. That could change the whole region. Or, India could invest in Pakistan, build factories and pipelines. Pakistan could provide engineers, drivers, workers, and forge alliances with the neighboring states. Twice the world powers have intervened and Pakistan has tried to play games with them. The third intervention will be economic, and we should participate"
While giving interview it is easy to suggest but practical implementation on ground extremely difficult. From last many decades, mind set of Pakistani civil and military elite has been tuned up to a specific music. Merely economic intervention will change this mind set, to me, looks a remote possibility. Masses have no say in policy making of Pakistan. Even the middle class has no role. Currently so called democracy prevails in Pakistan but looks even worst relative to any dictatorship from masses point of view. Military brass on the name of security enjoys sole authority on matters related to foreign affairs as well of security. Civil political elite comes from feudal lot and seems to be interested only in grabbing more and more resources of the country. Change of mind set stems from grass root level and in a country where grass root level is absent in policy making how it can be achieved. What ever intervention is done by world powerful countries in Pakistan no light at the end of the tunnel unless positive changes are introduced at grass root level.

[i9natz]

Countries become Failed States after the U.S. bombs them, destroys their ecconomy and occupy them. What approach is Mr. Rashid talking about?

[greatdane]

So Ahmend Rashid is a journalist who has written several books about Afghanistan. Why exactly does this make him one of the foremost analysts of the country?

Anyway, while there are several things in this interview that seem rather sensible, the overall message is rather muddled. Mr Rashid states:
"But all development programs of the United States and the European countries unfortunately exclude the private sector, which could make investments based on profitability."
First of all, with the services provided by PMCs, the private sector was intimately included from early on - and did indeed aim at profitability. It's just that profitability for a private company doesn't have anything to do with social profit. As oil extraction in Nigeria or uranium mining in other parts of Africa shows, private companies will indeed invest in the infrastructure they need to run their business...but leave it at that.
Second, investing in opium production and refinement is a highly profitable business and the warlords clearly understand this - so claims that investments in Afghanistan are not done according to profitability are a bit overstated.

Turns out, however, that Rashid doesn't actually mean what he says. His description of the Soviet occupation, even though they "raped" the country, includes much of what he sees missing from the US model. And the examples he gives for successful organizations and initiatives are precisely NOT profit-oriented hedge funds but non-profit NGOs.

So what Mr Rashid should have said is that the NATO approach to rogue states - to destroy existing power structures, and hope that magically, without significant troop and public sector investment, free markets will make democracy emerge - only leads to failed states. This isn't what this foremost expert said, however, leaving us with a muddled message.