Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

(publicado originalmente na revista Think South Asia em 2012 e depois no Jacaré em 2018)

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović saúda Luka Modrić, E. Macron aplaude

Dois dos temas mais quentes desta semana foram a efusividade e boa figura da Presidente da Croácia a apoiar a selecção finalista do Campeonato Mundial de Futebol na Rússia e a cimeira da NATO em Bruxelas. À primeira vista os assuntos nada têm que ver, mas para mim sim. Em 2012/13 eu editava uma revista de relações internacionais que fundei, a Think South Asia magazine, que saía em versão digital e também circulava em formato impresso nos meandros políticos e diplomáticos de Bruxelas. Nesses anos, em visitas que fiz à NATO, tive o privilégio de conhecer e entrevistar a senhora embaixadora Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović que na altura era a “NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy” até se tornar a Presidente da Croácia em 2015, função que brilhantemente tem desempenhado até hoje. Antes disso já tinha sido Embaixadora da Croácia nos EUA e Ministra dos Negócios Estrangeiros. É fluente em Português, católica e tendencialmente conservadora. Aqui fica o registo duma pequena entrevista que lhe fiz em 2012 acerca do envolvimento da NATO no Afeganistão:

António Vieira da Cruz (AVC): How do you see 9/11 in 2012 from the NATO perspective?

Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (KGK): The attacks of September 11, 2001 were not only against the United States, but against the principles and values shared by a global community of democratic nations. Eleven years after these attacks, the commitment to the principles and values of the North Atlantic Alliance is firm, and our sense of solidarity and unity remains strong. Since the events of 9-11, working together and with partner nations around the world, the members of the Alliance have taken wide-ranging measures that ensure, collectively, we now face the future better prepared.

AVC: What has been the impact of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan, in particular with respect to a military presence in South Asia?

KGK: NATO’s primary objective in Afghanistan is to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security to ensure the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. The nations that make up the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder - shona-ba-shona – with Afghan National Security Forces, building a more secure, stable future for the people of Afghanistan. In the eleven years of this partnership, the lives of the Afghan people have improved in terms of security, access to education and health care, economic opportunity and the assurance of rights and freedoms. The task is not yet complete, but Afghanistan’s self-reliance grows stronger each day. In light of the progress over the last 11 years, and building on our firm and shared commitment, we are confident that our strong partnership will lead towards a better future. Regional security, stability and development are interlinked, and a secure and stable Afghanistan is critical for a secure and stable South Asia.

AVC: How do you foresee NATO’s continued engagement with Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops?

KGK: As the Chicago Summit Declaration stated in May 2012, Afghanistan will not stand alone. NATO’s commitment to Afghanistan is firm. At the Lisbon Summit in 2010, NATO and the Government of Afghanistan signed the Enduring Partnership Declaration, and at the Chicago Summit in 2012, NATO Allies, along with ISAF partners, built on this commitment to provide the Afghan national security forces with the necessary training, advising and assistance moving forward that they need to fulfil their duties. NATO and the Afghan Government have a clear road map through this Transition process, by which full security responsibility for Afghanistan is gradually transitioned from ISAF to the Afghan government. After 2014, the Alliance has committed to providing strong and long-term political and practical support through our Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan.

AVC: What are the current hopes and dreams for the future of NATO?

KGK: At the Chicago Summit, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the Alliance recommitted to the core values of NATO, as defined in the Strategic Concept, as the transatlantic framework for strong collective defence, and the essential forum for security consultations and decisions among Allies. NATO has three essential core tasks – collective defence, crisis management, and cooperative security – all of which contribute to safeguarding Alliance members. With the strong partnership of, and dialogue with, nations around the world, the Alliance’s work remains at the forefront of security: From fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa, to efforts in improving cyber defence, to our commitment in supporting United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and UNSCR 1612 and related Resolutions on the protection of children affected by armed conflict. The Alliance is also looking to emerging challenges, and the requirement that we must make best use of our resources and to continue to adapt our forces and structures. We remain committed to our common values, and are determined to ensure NATO’s ability to meet any challenges to our shared security.

como estava o Bangladesh em Novembro de 2013

O artigo em baixo foi inicialmente publicado na revista Think South Asia nº11, número de Dezembro, disponível aqui: http://sadf.eu/home/2013/12/15/think-south-asia-11/. Entretanto as eleições deram-se no dia 5 de Janeiro, com o boicote do principal partido da oposição (BNP), que apelou à não-participação nas eleições. O partido do governo (Awami League) ganhou assim as eleições, elegendo dois terços dos deputados. Os extremistas do Jamaat-e-Islami, aliados eleitorais do BNP, preferiram influenciar as eleições através do terror, provocando mais de 20 mortes no dia das eleições e continuando os atentados até hoje, principalmente perseguindo as minorias religiosas (em especial os hindus, os cristãos e os budistas) e muçulmanos moderados. No fundo, os alvos do costume.

The Situation in Bangladesh – November/December 2013

I could have been killed last time I was in Dhaka. Anyone could. In fact, around 30 innocent people died in street bombings and shootings during the 3^rd week of November 2013.

The streets of Dhaka are filled with orange and black posters from Hizb ut-Tahrir. The main purpose of this poster is to call the Military to take over power in Bangladesh and establish "Khilafat" (the caliphate). This pan-Islamic political organisation has been legally banned in Bangladesh since 2009, yet they continue to spend fortunes in promoting extremism through propaganda and schemes to take over the elected powers, evident for example in 2011.

In their most recent press release, Hizb ut-Tahrir states that during the last  strike 25 people were killed, concluding that "Democracy = Death to People". Of course what they do not understand is that democracy is not responsible for  causing these deaths: extremism is. With their hate speeches and incite to violence, Hizb ut-Tharir and other powerful extremist organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami are contributing to the confrontational climate in Bangladesh' society and therefore putting this country on the verge of violent situations where religious and ethnic minorities are always the first ones to suffer. Many people on the street timidly share the opinion that the current strike is not helping in restoring  peace and order, which this troubles country needs so desperately.

Hizb ut-Tharir cannot win elections, but their posters help us understand how violent the climate in Bangladesh is right now. Bangladesh has two major parties, the Awami League in power and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) in the opposition. Both are considered to be relatively moderate, the Awami League on the left, BNP on the right. The problem will be the alliances they are forging for the upcoming  elections. BNP has a coalition agreement with Jamaat-e-Islami for next elections, and although Jamaat-e-Islami has been barred by the courts from partaking in elections, its influence is and will still be enormous. By financing part of BNP’s campaign, Jamaat-e-Islami will be able to push their extreme Islamist agenda, hurting religious minorities and setting their war criminals free. In 1971 many Jamaat-e-Islami leaders engaged in the tremendous genocide in Bangladesh, where during 9 months of terror 3 million people were killed and around 4 hundred thousand women were raped. The International Crimes Tribunal is trying to end 40 years of impunity by providing fair trials for these war criminals. If Jamaat-e-Islami comes to power with the help of another party, nobody doubts that they will try to end this important Court of Justice.

Just to add another concern, the very active extremist outlet Hefazat-e-Islam is another group to be concerned about. It is politically and financially backed by Jamaat-e-Islami. They are actively producing bombs and violence in order to achieve their 13 points, quote:

1. Restore the phrase ‘Complete faith and trust in the Almighty Allah’ in the constitution and repeal all the laws contrary to the Quran and Sunnah.

2. Pass a law in parliament keeping a provision of the maximum punishment of death sentence to prevent defaming Allah, the Islamic prophet Muhammad and Islam and smear campaigns against Muslims.

3. Take measures for stringent punishment against self-declared atheists and bloggers, led the so-called Shahbagh movement, and anti-Islamists who made derogatory remarks against Muhammad.

4. Stop infiltration of all alien-culture, including shamelessness in the name of individual’s freedom of expression, ant-social activities, adultery, free mixing of male and female and candle lighting.

5. Make Islamic education mandatory from primary to higher secondary levels canceling the anti-Islamic women policy and anti-religion education policy.

6. Officially declare Qadianis (Ahmadiyyas) as non-Muslim and stop their propaganda and all conspiratorial ill-moves.

7. Stop setting up sculptures at intersections, schools, colleges and universities across the country.

8. Lift restriction on saying payers in all mosques across the country, including Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, without any hassle and remove obstacles to carrying out religious activities.

9. Stop evil efforts to spread hatred in the mind of young generation regarding Islam through the misrepresentation of religious dresses and cultures in the media.

10. Stop anti-Islam activities by NGOs across the country, including in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and evil attempts of Christian missionaries for conversion.

11. Stop attacks, mass killing, oppression and indiscriminate shooting on Alem-Ulama, devout followers of Muhammad and towhidi janata (revolutionary people).

12. Stop threatening teachers and students of Qawmi madrasas, Islamic scholars, imams and khatibs and conspiracies against them.

13. Free immediately all the arrested Islamic scholars, madrasa students and towhidi janata and withdraw all false cases filed against them, compensate the victims and bring the assailants to justice.

There are many other groups promoting extremism in Bangladesh and sadly this is the kind of discourse we  find ourselves confronted with in Bangladesh nowadays. The country is in an extremely sensitive pre-electoral situation. Despite the impressive reports we receive every day in our countries, none of them are completely able to picture how  tense the climate really is. People are afraid. The Police and the Military are on the streets. National strikes are being organized by the opposition parties. In the streets of Dhaka small bombs and explosives like “cocktail molotovs” are being dropped. Different neighborhoods of the city are being affected and from while to while we can hear gun shots in places that used to be safe and secure. Many countries with embassies or relevant information in Bangladesh are advising their nationals not to visit Bangladesh right now.

In 2012 I was in Bangladesh for 11 days and last November it was my 2^nd time there. I noticed that many things changed. There is some new infrastructure and many roads and buildings are being built. There is some real progress being made. I first thought that the lack of the usually omnipresent traffic jams were the consequence of the existence of new roads, but that was not its main cause: due to an opposition-called 84 hour “hartal” (strike), many services stopped completely.

Another thing I saw was an overwhelming presence of Police and the Military on the streets, mainly in the intersections between main roads and secondary streets. This strategic placement is to avoid attacks in the main roads of groups coming from narrower streets to drop explosives and cause more casualties. I was travelling by car and within the small distance from the airport to my hotel, Police forces stopped and frisked the car twice. But as they saw that I was a foreigner, they quickly let us go. The respect for foreigners is part of this culture. Each and every road intersection is filled with police forces in groups of 5 to 10 people, all visible carrying machine guns.

On the 1^st day, after I left my luggage in the Hotel I went by rickshaw to visit the Holy Rosary Church, which is a beautiful catholic temple. You probably know that Dhaka is known for being the city of rickshaws, with around 4 hundred thousand cycle-rickshaws driving around every day. Nowadays rickshaw is the safest means of transport in Dhaka because it is the only which allows us to jump and run at any time. Some buses, CNG’s and cars were attacked during the last days. So I went through Tejgaon, where the Prime-Minister’s office is, and 10 minutes after we heard an explosion noise and gun shots nearby. The security guard of the church told me to come inside the Church gates and then locked the entrance. After a while, everything was back to “normal”.

People are afraid and tense; we can see that in almost everybody’s eyes. The Bangladeshis are worried about what may happen in the course of the next days, before and during and after elections. In 2012 I told all my friends that I never saw a city with so much life and movement as Dhaka. Many times I even complained that I could not sleep with so much honking in the street, 24 hours per day in a non-stop mode. And trust me, I am a heavy sleeper. But last November I could not see one single person in this main avenue at night. Nobody dares to be out there in this megacity of 15 million people which used to be one of those that never sleeps. It seems that fear is reigning in Dhaka.

The people in Bangladesh, more than ever, need  our international support in advancing and stabilizing   their legal institutions and democracy. People want peaceful elections, the International Crimes Tribunal to keep providing Justice and honoring the memories of the genocide victims. The economy is growing at a 6% to 7% rate every year. Extremism exists, extremism is well financed, and extremism could damage all these and other achievements. As the Canadian MPs Joe Daniel and Russ Hiebert said in a recent pre-election observation mission report, “the role and participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in national politics requires close scrutiny by authorities as this organization has created deep concerns about the protection of the rights of women, minorities and others. The BNP in particular must also reflect on the possible role that Jamaat may be playing in its party and work to distance itself from this extremist organization”.

It would surely be a setback for Human Rights and Minority Rights in Bangladesh if extremism of any kind came back to power again. Regardless of who wins the next elections, we must hope that Bangladesh finds the peaceful conditions required in order to prosper and keep elevating their standard of living in the years to come.

o meu último editorial na revista Think South Asia

Deixo aqui o último editorial que escrevi na revista Think South Asia enquanto Editor. As próximas edições da revista ficam muito bem entregues ao alemão Djan Sauerborn, da Universidade de Heidelberg:

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Think South Asia #09

As this is a summer special edition of Think South Asia, we suggest a travel by some of the South Asian countries, as the Maldives, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. As I am moving to new projects, this is also my last edition as editor but, before I get there, let me call your attention for the contents you can find in the next pages: an article about the rising religious extremism in the Maldives by the future editor of Think South Asia, Mr Djan Sauerborn; a very good business profile of the Indian building market, by the civil engineer Mr Pedro Baptista Pinto; and an informative update of the situation in Nepal, by Mr Narayan Guimire.

Then, we have an outstanding article about the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh “Our conscience in an Iron Cage” and its consequences, from our esteemed adviser, Dr M. A. Hasan from Bangladesh. You should not miss his article for several reasons: Dr Hasan is well-known as a fighter for independence, as a physician, as a scientist, as a philosopher, as a poet, as a human rights activist and much more. From Afghanistan we received and publish a very important article about “eliminating prejudices in school curricula and materials”, by our well known Doctor Massouda Jalal, who is a former Minister of Women’ Affairs in Afghanistan and currently working on women rights as Head of the Jalal Foundation.

Last but not least, we interviewed the Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum, Mr Paulo Casaca. He made some very important statements we should write on the rock for future memories:

• “We are now in a global era with much more powerful destruction devices than the ones we had some decades ago.”

• “In order to prevent a catastrophic scenario it is absolutely imperative to stop terrorism, especially the export of terrorism.”

• “Europe learned the hard way that cooperation is the only way to succeed.”

• “The full respect of cultures, languages and histories within Southern Asia and the full understanding of the values of co-operation, respect and tolerance is the only way to overcome existing conflicts rooted in the region.”

• “The European Union should stop to appease totalitarian ideologies.”

Malala Yousafzai, @United Nations HQ, New York - USA

Mr Paulo Casaca also makes some questions and recommendations, and remembers the young 16 years old Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai, who on the 12th of July made a remarkable speech in the United Nations. She quoted Mohamed, Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. She quoted them to ask for the right of every child, boys and girls, to education. As Malala said, “education is the only solution.” We fully support this idea that you can see developed in Doctor Jalal’s above mentioned article.

Finally, I must say it is with mixed feelings of nostalgia and confidence that I write my last Editorial here. On one hand, there is nostalgia for this fantastic year of 2012/2013, which was the beginning of this beautiful project called Think South Asia. Wonderful moments of discovery and big debates happened in this platform between very important politicians, distinguished diplomats, eminent academics and representatives of NGO’s. This fruitful debate constantly informed all those who read and make this magazine each month: policy makers in Europe, North-America and South Asia, our dear general readers all over the world, esteemed authors and, of course, myself. I learned a lot with you about South Asia, Europe, politics, business and culture. I was also able to receive lots of congratulation notes and critics for the quality of this magazine, but in fact the credits are all to be shared between the guest contributors who made from this magazine a successful reference among the periodic publications about South Asia, and you, dear reader, because as you know, this magazine is specially made for you. My deep thanks to all the guests who wrote, were interviewed or contributed in other ways for the success of this magazine. But I must personally thank to Mr Paulo Casaca from the South Asia Democratic Forum (www.sadf.eu) for all the invaluable support and expertise he gave to this project; and also to Mr Hugo Almeida and Mr Diogo Alves from Popular Jump (www.popularjump.com), who were the responsible for this fantastic design you are used to see here.

On the other hand, I would like to leave here a word of trust and confidence. I am very much confident than my successor as Editor will keep improving the Think South Asia magazine and letting it reach more and more people. I hereby present to you Mr Djan Sauerborn, who is writing here for the second time about the situation in the Maldives (for his first article, please check the October 2012 edition). Mr Sauerborn is an expert on South Asia from the University of Heidelberg, and so he is the right captain to take this ship into deeper waters and discover new horizons. The Think South Asia magazine is in very good hands and I whish all the best to Mr Djan Sauerborn in this endeavour. I am sure we will keep and develop this contact and cooperation, so that we can always Think (in, about and with) South Asia.

Thank you very much!

And feel free to contact me:

antvcruz@gmail.com

olhando para o Butão e outros assuntos da Ásia do Sul

Editorial que escrevi no oitavo número da revista Think South Asia:

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The King of Bhutan - Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

It is now time for us to look at Bhutan. Bhutan is a mountainous country comparable to the size of Switzerland, but with around 730 thousand inhabitants and landlocked between India and Tibet, which as we know is ruled by the Chinese. On the date of this edition we are between 2 rounds of parliamentary elections in Bhutan, being a special moment to analyse this fascinating country. Also another issue for which Bhutan is well known is the Gross National Happiness index (GNH), and we are thinking about it as well.

In this issue of Think South Asia magazine we have very prestigious contributions indeed. First of all, a detailed country profile of Bhutan done by the South Asia Democratic Forum fellow Mr Marian Gallenkamp, who is a knowledgeable expert on this country. Dr Siegfried O. Wolf from the University of Heidelberg dedicates his usual column to an analysis of the Bhutanese elections. The EU Delegate of The Family Watch, Mr Antoine Mellado, writes about development and the Gross National Happiness Index of Bhutan and its parameters. Then, 3 promising and talented ladies from Bangladesh honour us with their inputs: Ms Sheikh Nishat Nazmi is a Social Psychology Counsellor and brings to us a very interesting picture of the Families in South Asia in general, Bangladesh in particular; Mst Sabikun Naher from the University of Dhaka writes about the Bangladesh-Bhutan commercial relations and comparative advantages of both countries; and last but not least, Ms Janina Islam Abir also from the University of Dhaka tell us about the Shahbag Movement, making a very comprehensive and deep analysis of this historical phenomena occurring nowadays in Bangladesh, which we should know better and follow closely.

BNG Ambassador - Ismat Jahan

Now I am privileged to present: 2 interviews, 2 Ambassadors, 2 good friends of South Asia: Her Excellency Mrs Ismat Jahan from Bangladesh, and His Excellency Mr Jan Deboutte from Belgium. Both perspectives – South Asian and European – should be appreciated attentively, so that no drop of wisdom escapes from our readings. Without any previous agreement, both ambassadors showed to be fantastic builders of cultural bridges: while Mr Ambassador Deboutte finds a link between the Bhutanese Gross National Happiness and the Greek classical philosophy, Mrs Ambassador Jahan quotes the first non European Nobel Prize of Literature winner, the Bengali Rabindranath Tagore (1913), proving that his poetry and art could be an inspiration to South Asians, Europeans and everybody in this planet.

Regarding the peace prospects in Kashmir, we have an attention call article from the Executive Director of South Asia Democratic Forum. Mr Paulo Casaca writes about the murder of Mr Arif Shahid, one of the most important figures of Pakistan’s Kashmiri independence movement, and its worrying consequences to the peace in Kashmir.

On the 14^th of May there were also elections in Pakistan, where the people expressed the will to have Mr Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister for the 3^rd time in the country’s History. The South Asia Institute of the University of Heidelberg and the South Asia Democratic Forum organised a conference to discuss these elections and in the European Parliament of Brussels. This event resulted in a high-level briefing done by a prestigious set of experts to European policy-makers. You can check their conclusions in the end of the magazine. From the Think South Asia editorial side, I would like to wish to President Sharif all the success, hoping that peace, stability and better living conditions can be achieved in Pakistan with respect to Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

From Bangladesh we received sad news on the last 24^th of April, when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed provoking the death of 1129 people. This makes us ask: In a country where the perpetrators of the 1971 genocide (which killed more than 3 million people) were not brought to justice and several other public crimes occurred, like the assassination of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, how can we expect that people have care while planning a building? This is why it was important to welcome in Brussels the Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Doctor Dipu Moni. Mrs Moni said that in Bangladesh “the culture of impunity is ending” and the government will do its best to ensure labour safety and rights in the country. We must applaud her courageous statement and support the Bangladeshi authorities in the reinforcement of security and the rule of law.

After some Chinese troops crossed the line of control in Ladakh (Kashmir) in April, I was surprised to see the European Parliament discussing on the 23^rd of May the February execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru in Delhi. As I said the Think South Asia 6^th edition in February, I personally am against death penalty, but this does not mean supporting impunity. Mr Guru was proven to be associated with the terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and participated in the 2001 attack against the Indian Parliament, killing 7 people and injuring 15. Of course the European Parliament could make the case of banning death penalty in the world... but this case of Mr Guru is far from being the best flag to pick, not to say that it probably sends a wrong message to the international community, as if the EU is supporting impunity for terrorists. I think this is not the case, or at least it shouldn’t.

Two days after this debate in Strasbourg, on the Saturday the 25^th of May another terrorist attack happened in the State of Chhattisgarh in India, this time organised by the Naxalite-Maoists. The attackers killed 27 people, amongst them some senior political leaders mainly from the Indian National Congress party. The Naxalite-Maoist insurgency killed already approximately 12 thousand people since its start in 1980 and the Indian police believes it has ties with the above mentioned Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as with the ISI (intelligence agency also from Pakistan), and their training camps are mainly located in Pakistan, China and Burma.

Finally some good news from Afghanistan. As you can see in the latest document of Reporters Without Frontiers, no journalists were killed in 2012 and arrests of media workers declined. Nevertheless, violence against journalists did not disappear completely. Also, since NATO will withdraw most of the troops from Afghanistan next year and Taliban are expected to return to the country, there are legitimate doubts if this betterment of conditions for the media in Afghanistan is not precarious.

The Taktshang Monastery, in Bhutan

Bhutan also gives us positive news. Bhutan ranks 1^st among the South Asian countries for freedom of the press, and the 82^nd in the World Press Freedom Index. More concerns should be raised to the situation in the Maldives and in Sri Lanka. Although still preserving an orange colour on the map, the Maldives fell 30 positions in the index due to violence and threats against journalists after the coup d’état in March 2012. Regarding Sri Lanka, it still is the last one of South Asia on the list, ranking number 162^nd in the world, three positions below Pakistan (159^th).

South Asia as a whole got worse for journalists in 2012, and something should be done about this. However these are sad news, we should put them in perspective. South Asian countries scored considerably better than its neighbour countries:

• Tajikistan and Burma appear in a red colour with a “difficult situation” for journalists
• Uzbekistan, China, Iran and Turkmenistan in black with a “very serious situation”

To sum up, reasons are not scarce to give a careful look to this edition of the Think South Asia magazine, because in the next editions there will be some changes and surprises. Meanwhile, any articles for submission, comments or critics are very much welcome in: antonio@sadf.eu

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Publicado no site do South Asia Democratic Forum: www.sadf.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 08: http://sadf.eu/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/thinksouthasia08.pdf

a corrupção segundo "Arthashastra"

“Arthashastra”

This is a book of surprises. A classic of the Indian literature and thinking, “Arthashastra” was written by the Chief Adviser of two Mauryan Emperors. It could be seen as a treatise about the arts of war and economic policy, but it is much more than that. “Arthashastra” is about ethics and the duties each person is obliged to incorporate depending on its role in society. I leave you with one of his most famous passages, which is about corruption vices and solutions:

Each department shall be officered by several temporary heads.

Just as it is impossible not to taste the honey or the poison that finds itself at the tip of the tongue, so it is impossible for a government servant not to eat up, at least, a bit of the king's revenue.

Just as fish moving under water cannot possibly be found out either as drinking or not drinking water, so government servants employed in the government work cannot be found out (while) taking money (for themselves).

It is possible to mark the movements of birds flying high up in the sky; but not so is it possible to ascertain the movement of government servants of hidden purpose.

Government servants shall not only be confiscated of their ill-earned hordes, but also be transferred from one work to another, so that they cannot either misappropriate Government money or vomit what they have eaten up.

Those who increase the king's revenue instead of eating it up and are loyally devoted to him shall be made permanent in service.

As we see by this transcription (pages 93 and 94), these writings are still interesting and useful nowadays. I highly recommend the reading of the whole book.

Title: 

“Arthashastra” - meaning something like “The science of wealth”

Author: 

Kautilya (also known as Chanakya or Vishnu Gupta), who was the Chief Adviser of the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta and his son Emperor Bindusara.

Date: 

4th century b.C.

situação no Nepal e o interesse da Turquia no Bangladesh

Editorial que escrevi no sexto número da revista Think South Asia, que edito com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum:

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Nepal is the country we chose to focus on this time. With about 27 million people and landlocked between India and China, Nepal has in Kathmandu its capital and also the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, also known by the acronym SAARC. It is interesting indeed to see Nepal´s recent societal changes, in the common people as in the political elites. After a very good country profile by S. M. Hasan, Dr Siegfried Wolf from Heidelberg tells us more about the possible role of Nepal in regional cooperation, making reference to a very useful survey report South Asia Democratic Forum conducted in Nepal in 2011, in partnership with Gallup Europe. As Mr Malik Saqib Ali says in his article about economic integration, South Asia has 23% of the people in the world, 5% of its soil mass, and only 3% of the world’s total GDP. But as the Chair of SADF’s Board of Advisors, Professor Subrata Mitra, told us in the previous edition of Think South Asia, in 1b.C. 

India was responsible for 33% of the GNP of the whole World. So, there is no doubt South Asia is nowadays the prototype of the land of opportunities. In this number of Think South Asia we publish the 2nd part of the interview, and no one should miss this reading. To read the 1st, part you have to read last December’s edition of Think South Asia: http://sadf.eu/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/thinksouthasia05.pdf

But back to South Asia, by what we can see, it is of major importance to empower an organisation such as SAARC. Nepal can play a role here, but we shall wait for their constitutional elections this Spring in order to 

analyse what we can expect from Nepal in the next years. You can find SADF’s report on Nepal in our website, here: http://sadf.eu/home/2012/04/insightssouth-asia-nepal-survey-2011-results/

As South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) could not miss the chance to highlight the genocide of Bangladesh in the 70’s, in January we promoted a conference in the French Senate in Paris hosted by Mrs Senator MarieNoëlle Lienemann. Some of the texts about that tragedy are very well presented in this magazine by Mr Paulo Casaca and Mr Modfidul Hoque from the Liberation War Museum of Bangladesh. I must add that on the 23rd of December the President of Turkey Mr Abdullah Gül wrote a letter to the President of Bangladesh Mr Zillur Rahman, asking for clemency to the accused under trial in the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for the “sake of peace in the society”. This trial begun in order to bring to justice the victims of the biggest genocide that happened after the Holocaust, causing more than 3 million deaths. I personally am against death penalty in each and every case, but this curious intromission of the President of Turkey on behalf of the war criminal Ghulam Azam is something that we must take note and be aware of further developments.

Finally, I should give a last word of gratitude to Benedict XVI, who will resign as Pope in the end of this month. Thanks to this Pope, the symbolic case of Asia Bibi got universal dimension of human rights pressure against the blasphemy law in Pakistan. So, for that as for many other things, I must leave here my deepest thanks for everything His Holiness has done for South Asia on behalf of the Christian communities in particular and for the religious freedom in general.

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Publicado no site do South Asia Democratic Forum: www.sadf.eu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 06: http://sadf.eu/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/thinksouthasia06.pdf

Índia pode liderar cooperação na Ásia do Sul

Editorial que escrevi no quinto número da revista Think South Asia, que edito com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum, apresentando a Índia como um país de oportunidades e futuro:

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Imagine the overall population of Europe and the Americas, all put together. Have you imagined that already? Well believe it or not South Asia, as a region, has even more people than that, which is reason enough to pay attention to its development and potentials. The western countries seem to be obsessed with the financial and economic crisis, but on the other side of the world there is a new land of opportunities asking for support and economic cooperation. Five hundred years after Vasco da Gama and seven hundred years after Marco Polo, we must peacefully rediscover the Indian Ocean and the trade opportunities within the SAARC countries that could help us in leaving the crisis behind. This time, the focus of Think South Asia is on India. It seems paradoxical to put the focus on such a big country, and maybe it is. We will certainly have to come back to Indian issues, perhaps analysing them through the smaller realities at the state-level. But this time we analyse India as a whole, and we try also to see it in the international context.

One of the things that always impresses me is how this huge country with so many different people and potential tensions could be maintained and is growing with the institutional framework of a stable liberal democracy. Professor Subrata Mitra, whose reputation and authority on this issue is well-known, gives us an interesting perspective in his interview. For editorial reasons it will be published in two parts: this one here, and the second in our next issue of Think South Asia in January 2013.

This issue we have a small country profile of India, where we can check out the basic facts about the nation. The Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum, Mr Paulo Casaca, goes further and analyses with precision the main issues around the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and India.

Regarding India’s relations, we have a piece on this topic from Ms Cátia Rodrigues (Policy Adviser in South Asia Democratic Forum) making reference to India’s relations with China, while Dr Siegfried Wolf from Heidelberg University writes about India’s relations with Pakistan after the last terrorist attack in Mumbai. Also concerning China there is a very interesting article from Mr Marco Rossi, who calls our attention to Chinese interests and movements in South Asia.

In the spotlight we have Doctor Massouda Jalal quoting C. S. Lewis with a very eloquent message about Afghanistan, analysing the situation deeply and also making recommendations to fix what is broken. The way Doctor Jalal begins could not be clearer: “democracy and talibanism cannot co-exist because they are antithetical to one another. (...) Thus, to assume that Taliban will embrace peace is an unforgivable mistake.”

Following Doctor Jalal’s article, we have a short interview with Ms Cláudia Pera, who works as the administrative manager of South Asia Democratic Forum, giving her thoughts on women’s issues and her
experience while accompanying Doctor Jalal is her last visit to Europe. Ms Pera sets out the scenario in quite a comprehensive way I’m sure you will agree.

The issue of indigenous people’s rights and their protection through the rule of law is very well explained by Mr S. M. Hasan from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Finally, we have Professor Wolfgang Peter Zingel alerting us on the issue of food security in South Asia and the concrete need for a deeper regional cooperation.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Think South Asia and we wish you a joyful season, especially for your children, who are the ones giving us the most complete perspectives of hope for our future, whether in South Asia, Europe, or anywhere else in the world.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 02: http://sadf.eu/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/thinksouthasia05.pdf

um breve perfil da Índia

Artigo sobre a Índia publicado com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum no último número do Think South Asia, aqui.

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The Republic of India is a country with 3.287.590 square kilometres of area and an estimated population of 1,24 billion people. Its borders are with Pakistan to the northwest, Tibet (under the Chinese administration), Nepal and Bhutan to the north, and Bangladesh and Burma to the northeast. On the Indian Ocean, India’s neighbours are the Maldives to the southwest and Sri Lanka to the southeast.

These numbers mean that India has a larger population than Europe (all countries together), or the Americas (North and South), or Africa. We can find an Indian identity, or at least a harmonic set of similar identities within India, making of it the most populous liberal democracy in the world. And, with a birth rate bigger than China, India is set to overtake its neighbour country as the world’s most populous nation by 2030, according to the latest United Nations projections.

With a GDP per capita of approximately 1.345,50 EURO and the Economy growing around 6,5% each year, India is strengthening its industrial and services power. On the same hand, India’s middle class is increasing rapidly, giving to millions the purchase power that is attracting the attention of many foreign investors and businesses. Culturally, we can say that India main religious influence is Hinduism (approximately 80,5% of the Indians are Hindu) but also Buddhism (born in the region of Bihar, India), Islam (through the Mughal Empire) and Christianity (through the Portuguese and the English) were important influences to its unique cultural blend of different ingredients.

Politically, India is a federation composed by 28 states and 7 union territories, each of it with very characteristic issues, problems and challenges. As Editor of this magazine, I would like to stop here this very short country profile of such a big and complex reality and leave for the soonest future a deeper analysis done by experts, state by state.

Generally, I would just reinforce the idea that India is a liberal democracy which respects the rule of law. Of course India has its problems to be solved, as other countries in the region have, but what makes of India a different country is the democratic tools they have to make Human Rights be respected within its borders.

This should be regarded as a hope for the western countries who want to engage in South Asia, as well as for SAARC countries to follow India’s example and find their own path to have stable democracies across the region.

passaram ainda além da Taprobana

Em baixo o artigo que escrevi no quarto número da revista Think South Asia (19 de Novembro), que edito com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum. Principais países em destaque: Sri Lanka e Paquistão. Neste número fala-se também da educação como forma de combater o extremismo e o terrorismo, e temos ainda a honra de contar com Vytautas Landsbergis, o primeiro Presidente da Lituânia após o comunismo.

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Por mares nunca de antes navegados,

Passaram ainda além da Taprobana*

Luís Vaz de Camões, in “Os Lusíadas” – Canto I

 

In this edition of Think South Asia we put the focus on Sri Lanka. With a long history and a very distinctive identity formed by a great profusion of different ethnicities and a meeting point of religions, Sri Lanka has a incredibly rich culture. Its privileged geography puts Sri Lanka in a very central and strategic situation in the Indian Ocean. As in the first stanza of his opus magum “Os Lusíadas”, the Portuguese poet Camões considered Taprobana (another name for Sri Lanka) a transition point for western culture. Of course this 16^th century stance is not exactly the same in today’s globalized world, nevertheless Sri Lanka maintains its role of a commercial passage country with many opportunities to be a motor for improving regional cooperation amongst the countries of South Asia.

 

Concerning Sri Lanka, we have the chance to read an excellent country profile from South Asia Democratic Forum’s Policy Adviser Cátia Rodrigues, which gives the floor to Robert Jan Riemersma’s article on the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. Mr Riemersma is an expert on the issue and conducts his research in the prestigious Heidelberg University. Finally, we have the pleasure to inaugurate a new readers’ section of the Think South Asia magazine, where we recommend an interesting book on Sri Lanka’s history.

 

The hot topic of Balochistan is also an issue affecting South Asia’s peace and stability. Dr Siegfried O. Wolf writes on the current situation in Balochistan and the Pakistani government’s attitude towards it. Meanwhile, on the occasion of the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Pakistan, Mr Mehran Baloch alerted us that the “danger of the nuclear assets falling into the hands of terrorists has already materialised and the world should understand this for if it doe­sn’t the world will have to pay a bitter price for its laxity and complacence”. Mr Baloch is the Permanent Representative of Baluchistan to the UN Human Rights Council.

 

We do not forget education for tolerance in this edition. Mr Amir Mustafa is a Research Officer in the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Human Resource Development Centre in Islamabad, Pakistan, and he writes on “Education for Peace and Prosperity in South Asia”. This is an article not to be missed: Mr Mustafa gives us a very well-informed idea of what is going on in each of the eight countries of SAARC.

 

Finally, last but not least, in the last edition of this magazine we announced the South Asia Democratic Forum’s conference on “The Merits of Regional Cooperation – The case of South Asia” which took place in Brussels on 11 October. I just want to leave here a word saying it was a great success: it really opened the debate on regional cooperation in South Asia, with deep interventions, such as the one from President Vytautas Landsbergis from Lithuania, which we are honoured to present in this edition. The quality and innovation of the academic papers presented in the conference was clear for all to behold. I hope to be able to share further  findings of that conference with you in due course given the quality of the work produced. In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy this, the fourth edition of Think South Asia.

 

*By seas never before sailed

They passed even over Taprobana

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Publicado no site do South Asia Democratic Forum: www.sadf.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 04: http://sadf.eu/docs/thinksouthasia04.pdf

os méritos da cooperação - caso da Ásia do Sul

Em baixo publico o artigo que escrevi no terceiro número da revista Think South Asia (9 de Outubro), que edito com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum. Principais países em destaque: Maldivas, Bangladesh e Sri Lanka. Mas também há notícias do resto da Ásia do Sul: Índia, Paquistão, Nepal, Butão e Afeganistão. E, ainda, a China e o Myanmar, a antiga Birmânia.

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In this edition of Think South Asia you will find plenty of details on what we are proud to present as the biggest and most important conference ever held on the topic of South Asia in Brussels, under the title, “The Merits of Regional Cooperation: The Case of South Asia” (part II). This important event will take place next 11th of October in the Hotel Sofitel Brussels at Place Jourdan, marking the legislative year of the European Institutions. This will present an amazing opportunity to discuss - with worldwide academic and political experts - and understand some of the most important issues in South Asia, such as Peace and Stability, Economic Cooperation, and Development.

 

Perhaps one of the main expectations of this conference will be the presentation of a study on Education in Bangladesh conducted by Professor N. M. Sajjadul Hoque, from the University of Chittagong. His study is titled, “Reviewing the Education Policy of Bangladesh” and he tries to answer the question, “Is the Present Education Policy Adequate for Countering Terrorism and Religious and Ethnic Intolerance?”. As per his findings, nine out of ten people in Bangladesh believe that Education is an important means to face the challenges of terrorism and religious and ethnic intolerance in Bangladesh, and the overwhelming majority (85%) feel that it is important to incorporate these issues in the New Education Policy of Bangladesh, as well as the educational curriculum and text books/syllabuses “as a matter of priority”. In the end, Professor Hoque outlines some important recommendations for Bangladeshi civil society, the Bangladeshi Government, the International Community in general and the European Union in particular.

 

Yet concerning Bangladesh, we must condemn vehemently the burning of at 10 Buddhist temples and around 2,100 homes last 29th and 30th of September by extremists in Southern Bangladesh. These demonstrations are a reaction to an allegedly insulting image of the Quran posted on Facebook and could be explained when we see the elections coming. In the same vein, we saw also on the 21st of September the burning of a Christian Church in Mardan, Pakistan, by a large mob of extremist Muslims. This happened as a response to the now infamous anti-Islam movie, even if the Christians of Mardan have nothing to do with this film. We must be worried about this phenomena of manipulating mobs to practice violent acts against innocent people who, because of their religion, are treated as scapegoats.

 

As a reflex of this reality, the Blasphemy Law of Pakistan is still in vigour and there are yet no signs of its end: Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl of 11 years old with Down's Syndrome is being held in prison since the 11th of August 2012, accused of burning pages from a booklet used to teach Arabic and the Quran. Under the Pakistan Penal Code, she could receive life in prison. Rimsha joins Asia Bibi and many others that are in prison because of this unjust law, and most of the convicted are Muslim.

 

Some intriguing news is also coming in from the Maldives, where after the coup d’état of March 2012 some turbulent riots took place, culminating in the most recent happenings: on the 2nd of October the Member of Parliament and well-known member of the opposition Mr Afrasheem Ali was stabbed to death near his house; on the 8th of October the former President Mohamed Nasheed was detained and arrested. In addition, four months before the coup d’état, China opened a new embassy in the Maldives. Perhaps it is just a coincidence, perhaps not. It is publicly known that China is carrying out major infrastructure projects in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Several authors say this is part of a Chinese strategy to encircle India and influence its neighbours. But back to the Maldives, although the current government and some reports don’t recognise there was really a coup d’état, what else can we conclude from these occurrences? Nevertheless, if we want to understand what is going on in these islands, there is nothing better than reading Djan Sauerborn’s country profile about the Maldives in this number of Think South Asia.

 

Very shortly, we will follow carefully the developments of the Free Trade Agreement negotiations between India and the European Union, where we can see the most recent point of tension is the retail market. The entrance of big European retail companies into the Indian market could lower retail prices in India even more but, on the other hand, traditional commerce and small shops would be forced to close in a medium/long run. It will be very interesting to see what develops.

 

Back to Brussels, the former Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr Puspa Kamal Dahal, known as “Prachanda”, will visit the European Parliament in Brussels next 15th of October. Former guerrilla leader and chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Prachanda was invited by MEPs Nirj Deva and Jean Lambert. Mrs Jean Lambert is the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia within the European Parliament and honours us with an interview in this edition, where she speaks of the reconciliation process with the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

 

In the next edition of Think South Asia, we will report the main conclusions of our conference, “The Merits of Regional Cooperation: The Case of South Asia”. If you do not want to wait so long and would instead like to attend, please register and take one of the last seats available by sending us an email to events@sadf.eu or by consulting our website at www.sadf.eu.

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Publicado no site do South Asia Democratic Forum: www.sadf.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 03: http://sadf.eu/docs/thinksouthasia03.pdf

11 anos depois do 11 de Setembro

Editorial que escrevi no segundo número da revista Think South Asia, que edito com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum, assinalando os 11 anos do 11 de Setembro:

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Most people remember exactly where they were when two planes crashed against the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre (WTC) in New York City, USA. I personally was on vacation and after I had heard a plane had crashed into the WTC, I saw live on television the second plane hitting the WTC, the third one hitting the Pentagon and of course news of the fourth plane crashing into the Pennsylvania countryside. I saw humanity falling down driven by greed, hate and extreme fanaticism.

Today we pin the date 9/11, eleven years after the tragedy. Back in 2001, training camps of Al-Qaeda were mainly in Afghanistan and the Taliban regime harboured these terrorists and all their facilities, while they ruled the Afghani people (and women in an oppressive special way) with tyranny. Western societies felt no option but to forcefully intervene in the faraway lands of Afghanistan. That story we know. But...what happened in the meantime what happens in the future?

 

In this 9/11 special edition of “Think South Asia” we hope you will gain an overall perspective on this issue as presented from different personalities and experts. We have the honour of presenting former Afghani Minister of Women’s Affairs (2004-06) Doctor Massouda Jalal’s in-depth interview, where she outlines the biggest threats and opportunities in Afghanistan and how Afghani women deserve to play an essential role in its future. Madame Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović from NATO also gives us a most lucid interview which is not to be missed, where she reminds us that “The attacks of September 11, 2001 were not only against the United States, but against the principles and values shared by a global community of democratic nations”. The Executive Director of SADF, Mr. Paulo Casaca, shows us how we should be worried about the possibility of the Taliban being back in power in Afghanistan, while Doctor Siegfried Wolf from the University of Heidelberg calls our attention to China’s potential interests in all of this.

 

Without listing anymore reasons to read carefully this special edition of Think South Asia, I should end this note saying that I am happy to count on Mr Pedro Guerra’s country profile of Afghanistan and on Ms Anne Flanagan (last but not least) who gave us precious help with the English editing of the texts and many details which don’t appear but make all the difference. If by any chance there is a mistake, that is of course – and as always – the Editor’s fault. Nevertheless, I thank all of our contributors and the Think South Asia team for doing everything to honour the memory of this 9/11 day.

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Publicado no site do South Asia Democratic Forum: www.sadf.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 02: http://sadf.eu/thinksouthasia02.pdf

nasce nova revista sobre a Ásia do Sul

Gostava de manter a regularidade deste blog, mas não tem sido fácil. Passo a publicar os mais recentes artigos que escrevi na revista Think South Asia, que edito com o apoio do South Asia Democratic Forum.

 

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It is a dream come true to launch this first number of Think South Asia, which wants to be a platform for dialogue between South Asia and European personalities with the aim of promoting peace, democracy, Human Rights and the rule of law.

 

First, I must begin to say that the pursuit of the truth of the facts is and will always be Think South Asia’s first principle. We think that light only comes from a pluralistic and polite debate. Each guest author will be fully responsible for his comments, and the Editor will ensure the quality of the choices.

 

In this first number the focus is on Bangladesh, a highly populated country that could be the key for a deeper regional cooperation in South Asia. We present some data and figures that could help you to understand the main challenges of this country that is rated as having an outstanding potential to grow both in wealth and well-being. It is indeed a land of opportunities. As Professor Sajjadul Hoque from the University of Chittagong says in Think South Asia’s first interview, "its geographical location, young generation, resources are the basic opportunities" of Bangladesh.

 

Finally, I would like to thank South Asia Democratic Forum for making possible the opportunity of launching Think South Asia. We would like to dedicate this number to people who do and influence politics in Europe and South Asia and we invite them to participate in our next conversations.

 

Please feel free to contact me in order to comment on our publication or submit articles for approval: antonio@sadf.eu. We hope you enjoy to Think South Asia with us.

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Publicado no site do South Asia Democratic Forum: www.sadf.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthAsiaDemocraticForum

Para fazer o download da revista Think South Asia 01: http://sadf.eu/thinksouthasia01.pdf