Beware of the Wave

When suicide bombers were rampant in Iraq people initially were giving thanks that Afghanistan was not similarly afflicted. Then questions started getting raised about why this was the case. In the time that intellectuals on one side of the divide noted and queried the situation, suicide bombers gathered conviction and explosives.

Pakistan became the next significant victim to become deeply ensnarled in a gripping wave of bombings. Opposition to the government realignment with the United States was the impetus. The Red Mosque siege was the tipping point. A newly elected government pledging sovereignty and vowing internal diplomacy provided an interesting experiment. With the US influence waning and intra-national elements negotiating, would the US be proven to be interfering and divisive?

Over the last year the north-west of Pakistan has produced increasing waves of violence. The violence spread west into neighbouring Afghanistan, and east into areas like suburban Peshawar. This gradual encroachment deeper into Pakistan has prompted the newly elected and independent Pakistan government to in recent weeks adopt the former military use-of-force strategy. The Pakistan government’s first major military push against the Taliban demonstrated a considerable underestimation of the Taliban’s growing military might. As well as being overpowered military, the government also not surprisingly was at the receiving end of the threat of a wave of suicide bombings.

As suicide bombings, and bombings in general, have spread from Iraq to Afghanistan, north-west Pakistan, and Pakistan in general, it is notable to consider Pakistan’s easterly neighbour. India has in recent years seen a wave of bombings targeting numerous major cities.

It is fortunate that the violence in Iraq, which it should be noted is most significantly civil in nature, has been considerably reduced. The same cannot be said for Afghanistan. Also, the vastly improved situation in Iraq is considered by many as extremely fragile. The recent Pakistan experiment in diplomacy appears to be short-lived. However the confrontational alternative has known consequences: the spread of violence throughout the country.

If the Pakistan government again makes any serious military effort against the Taliban, the country may be engulfed in violence. The government’s recent moves to confront both the Taliban and the president make for challenging times.

As for India and the globe, I would simply say beware of the wave.