Role of Media and Islam in Pakistan’s Politics

With the shutting of the cold war, the drive towards democratization assumed center state. Out of a total 206 states in the world, 195 claims to be either participatory or republican. In spite of it, the nature and function of many self pro claimed pop systems leave much to be desired. This has led to international efforts, led by the US, to engage in the twin task of body politic advancement and democracy protection. India joined the community of the democracies in 2000, at the turn of the millennium, and later became a member of the UN classless funds in2005.It has sought to contribute to the efforts aimed at promotion and strengthening of democracy in its own way. The author of the book downstairs review, prof Muni, calls it significant shift in Indias international insurance policy. As a close followers of Indias unknown policy he has tries to isolated the democracy dimension in Indias foreign policy towards its immediate neighbors on an individual coun savour basis o ver iii distinct conformations, which makes interesting readings. Professor Muni has enough experience as an pedantic and a diplomat to comment on such an important trouble with great care and diligence.After a brief review of theories of democracies and its interface with foreign policy, the author situates the Indian experience over three different phase angles. He argues during the first phase (1947-1960s) soon after bounteousdom from colonial rule, India wildness independence and nationalism. The principal architect of Indian foreign policy, Jawahar Lal Nehru, lot out to build of free, cooperative and peaceful Asia. This explained Nehrus vociferous production line in favor of inclusion of communist china in the love of nations as an independent state.He went on to fashioned his policy of non alignment as a main benchmark of Indias foreign policy and try to stay out of the bipolar power politics. His policies towards neighboring countries demonstrated his caprice for democracies in spite of the compromises he made to protect the strategical and scotch interests of India. The author makes a detailed analysis of Nehrus approach towards Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Myanmar and Pakistan and concludes that Nehrus preferences for democracies was often trumped by Indias vital security concerns.During the second phase (1960s-2000) the successors of Nehru, the author argues, adopted a pragmatic policy devoid an noble-mindedness that marked the Nehru geezerhood. The post 1962 (sino-indian war) years, as Nehru confessed shocked him out of his idealism and active the grounds for unapologetic realism in Indian foreign policy. Professor Muni demonstrate through his narrative of twists and turns of Nepalese politics that Indian back up democratic moments in Nepal when its suited its strategic interests unencumbered dilemma that characterized by Nehruvian years.All through, the main driver of Indias policy towards neighbors was to keep the region free from adve rsarial influences. The security challenges post by china and Pakistan largely determined the parameters of Indias foreign policy since the mid-seventies. Even as India evolved as a democratic nation and institutions promoting democratic values took firm roots in the country, during this phase there was no enthusiasm to propagate democracy and encourage democratic forces in the neighborhood.Nevertheless, India played an important place in the liberation of easternmost Pakistan in 1971, integrated Sikkim in 1975 and supported exiled democratic forces from Myanmar in 1970s and 1980s. Democracy mattered only when it converged with Indias strategic interests. However, india choose to diassociate it self from democratic forces in the mid 1970s. in Bhutan, indias sided with the mogul and discouraged the favorite movement raised by Bhutanis of Nepales region. It is quiet and other india forced the nepaled king to negotiate with the democratic forces in 1988.In the case of Myanmar, sin ce the late 1980s, it decided to advance its relationship with the military Junta and ignore the democratic forces to balance chinas increasing proximity to Myanmar. The third phase since the start of peeled millennium as found India in the company of US, seeking to kick upstairs and protect democracy around the world. India has calibrated its policy towards its neighbors accordingly. Despite its offense from the maost of Nepal, it played a critical role in the mainstreaming of this group and revive the democratic process.Despite playing a modest but critical role in Bangladeshs return to democracy in 1990, it has maintained a oeuvre aloofness from the rough and tumble of Bangladesh politics. In recent years a fresh wave of the democracy swept the neighborhood. The author has appreciated Indias diplomatic responses to these changes. There is also a brief preaching on Indias efforts and indo-US coordination in the process of reconstruction and democratization in Afghanistan s ince 9/11.The author implies that in view of Indias strategic interests in Afghanistan, it is imperative for India to continue with its developmental work despite attacks on its citizens by paksitan-sponsopred terrorists. In some(a) author suggest that in its conduct of foreign policy, India should not blindly follow the US at the cost of its strategic interests. The book provides useful insights to Indias neighborhood policy over the run six decades. The author brings to bear his personal interaction many tether actors in both India and Nepal to present his analysis of Nepalese politics forcefully.His study of other neighbors of India somehow struggles to come that level of compliance and intensity. To be donation to the author, given indias leverage in Nepal and its ability to influence its politics, Nepal was definite to attract that much prudence and care. However, one wondered if the author have accorded some space to Indias reaction to the imperfect nature of Srilankan de mocracy with its leave out of emphasis on inclusivity and pluralism. Given the threat it posed to the Srilankan polity and cloudy Indian involvement in the 1980s, Srilanka deserved some attention in the book.To the conclusion reader of the book finds the book and the author holds a lovesome grip over the material and issue it contained. The book deserve the attention of foreign policy analysts and scholars of international relations in India because in recent years India has sought to spell out its neighborhood policy tentatively with emphasis on building a web of interdependencies the neighbor and last the book is a good depiction of Indias foreign policy specially in reference to its influences the democratic scenario in the outer world.