लाेकपाटी न्यूज– Dr. Nimananda Rijal
Due to the fast economic development and protection by the super power; some of the countries are raising their head as regional authorities. Some of them are members in regional organizations; like EC, SADC, ASEAN and SAARC. The objective of these organizations is to enhance regional co-operation. Under the cover of these regional organizations, regional powers are emerging and some of them have applied in Security Council of UN for permanent membership. Some of the regional organizations were formed to control the growing popularity of socialism. These are aligned forces to combat against communism in regional basis. The guidance and shelter is provided by the capitalistic block. The main objective of these regional powers changes as world’s political situation changes. The emerging regional powers are after grabbing the regional markets.
America has been keeping military bases in Europe; it is justified military presence saving them from the danger of communism. So, USA is controlling the building up military capabilities in European countries. The regional powers are under the banner of super powers. It would be easier to control the small tiny or powerless countries through their puppet powers and they will share the available market.
Super powers are manufacturing mass destructive weapons such as chemical and nuclear weapons. They are armored with long distance chemical war head missiles and large military capabilities. The regional powers are trying to build up their military capabilities following the route of super powers with the ambition of being super power.
1. Destabilizing:
In most of the cases, regional powers are engaged to destabilize their neighboring countries so that the neighboring countries’ economical and trade affair remain as aligned with them. South Africa is a regional power in Southern African territory. South Africa always promoted trade with neighboring countries and tried to make them economically dependent on South Africa. Making economic dependency is a form of neo-colonial system. To promote trade and investment peaceful society is a prime factor, so these regional powers are provoking peace. In reality, if neighboring country does not accept their neo-colonial policy then the destabilization process starts.
These regional powers are aligned with the super power either way round so that they will feel secure to exploit the backward technological situation of the neighboring countries. They will object the self reliance policy of the developing countries because the self reliance policy is a threat to the market of the developed super powers.
Almost all neighboring countries of South Africa possessed very high potential for development which was taken as a threat by the apartheid regime and they destabilized the neighboring countries. The cost involved for destabilizing is very high. ‘South Africa’s military aggression and destabilization of its neighbors cost in the region 10 billion US dollars in 1988, over 60 billion US Dollars and 1.5 million lives first nine years of 80’s code.’114
Sound development is the process of sound social system. Where society feels insecure, tension then the citizen condemns the government and the government blames the people. Thus distrust will be created between the government and the society. This is one of the cause of civil disorder and the development process will be stopped.
21st century is a trade century, the war between trade to trade. The super power will be threatened by the economic development of the third world countries. The fostering market of the third world will be grabbed by the developed countries if the third world is not aware of it, in this economic war fare, local expertise will be developed and the countries basic infrastructure will be established and the living standard of the people will be uplifted. Society will be changed from saving oriented to consumer oriented society. In this economic war fare, every small countries possess the power of economic development. ‘Hongkong, Singapore and Thailand are the example.’115
Regional powers are emerging in every corner of the world and they have seen the value of market creation. So these powers cannot tolerate the neighboring market going out of their hand. India has a regional power in Southern Asia, Iraq and Iran in Middle East, Netherlands and German are emerging power in Europe, Canada, Mexico and Brazil has regional power but they are trapped by their big brother USA.
The regional powers have their ambition to be a super power which will cost billions of dollars for military expenses where as human being is suffering from malnourishment around the globe. The basic nature of the super power is to squeeze the world underneath their palm. If there are many super powers, they will divide the world into their territory. In this dividing process, another world war may break out. Third world countries will be bones between many bull dogs.
2. Reasons for Destabilizing To Nepal.
Nepal’s trade dependency with India dropped 60% within twenty years. The second was to some extent nationalistic politics of Nepal did not allow for fulfilling the vested interest through t he government of Nepal. Thirdly, Nepal was exposed in the international market. These facts were not bearable to the regional power India. If India want the peace, co-operation and development of neighboring countries then such kind of transit treaty would not have been imposed on Nepal. It displays that India wants to control the neighboring countries trade applying various means.
The same way the situation of Sri Lanka can be assessed. Sri Lanka was a very peace loving country with majority Buddhist. The Tamil descended from India created problem. The people who live there might have some problems but could have been solved in the negotiation table but India was not interested on it. India wants to prolong the civil war between Tamil and Sinhali so that a prosperous country which might as threat for trade of India. If they divide the tiny country in ethnic basis what resource will remain in Sri Lanka. Iraq’s invasion over Kuwait is one of the lively examples of destructive nature of regional power.121
In the ambition of being super power, they will exploit their natural resources at any cost. What cost will pay by man for over exploiting the natural resources. it is out of their conscience. Due to this ego (Ahankara) of the regional power, thousands of wells of oil were burned or destroyed in Kuwait and Iraq. Those burning wells were polluting the Northern hemisphere of the planet. The regional powers and super powers are not concerned about it. Who is going to pay the damage? Is it payable damage? Certainly it is not a payable damage. It is threat for animal existence in this planet.
3. Nature Of Destabilization:
This varies from place to place, country to country and region to region. For example, ‘Lesotho is a land locked country with no independent economy and four hundred thousands of Sotho are working in South Africa. Main source of income is tax revenue and tourist from South Africa. South Africa has launched murder raids, kidnapping and some sabotage attacking against South African refugees and their friends. Nearly, five hundred death resulted between 1980 and 1988’116
In Swaziland, destabilization process was different between1980 to 1988. ‘Swaziland’s transport link to Maputo have been sabotaged to deter shift in export and import routes., Botswana also have suffered from South African destabilization policy- Botswana has lost one hundred lives and spend 225 millions of US dollars for defense. Botswana is a land locked country; as a result, Botswana has to depend on South African ports for exporting goods. ‘The net cost of Botswana of higher South African prices and reduced custom proceeds amounts to about US$ 300 million over 1980-88, while net excess transport cost are roughly $50 million for the period.’117
Similarly, destabilization process in Southern Asian countries, where India stands as more than regional power. Pakistan and India’s dispute over Kashmir has been a war zone and both of them are trying to destabilize each other. A war was fought in 1972, where many lives destroyed and billions of US Dollars was spent. Both Pakistan and India has been spending their resources directly or indirectly to build up military capabilities. Both of them are suspicious on each other.
Small land locked countries like Bhutan and Nepal are in vulnerable position. In 1989, there was a dispute between India and Nepal on trade and transit treaty. India wants to combine trade treaty with transit facility. There is no any link between trader and transit. Trader depends on the economical situation of the country. So these two different aspects should not be linked together. ‘ Land locked states would have the right of access to and from the sea, would enjoy the freedom of transit through the territory of transit state.’118 The UN charter have clearly stated that transit is neither facility nor sympathy, it s the right of the land locked country. India violated the UN charter. If the land locked country want even to explore sea, international community should have considered on it. Vast oceans are another important natural resources, these resource should be utilized even by the land locked countries.
‘A treaty was signed in 1950 between Nepal and India by governments giving national treatment on the basis of reciprocity.’119 But it was not honored by India and relation reached almost in critical phase. ‘During 1989, India imposed unilateral trade embargo which ultimately brought drastic change in the political system and the form of the government in Nepal.’120 Nepal had to bear cost of billions of US dollars including close down of many factories and the high cost of petroleum which was transported by airplane.
4. Regional Power and Terrorism
Creating terrorism in neighboring country is another face of regional powers. Terrorism has different nature; driving away minor groups which migrated from neighboring countries and have been inhabited for hundreds of years. Driving away Nepalese origin population from Assam state of India is one of the main examples. Driving away population have to settle in Nepal. The cost is high. Creating civil war in Mozambique became the heavy burden to the neighboring countries especially for Malawi. ‘Malawi’s economy devastated mainly because of the sabotage in Mozambique. It has forced 90% of Malawi’s trade to distant port of South Africa. The mass terrorism that has brought nearly seven hundred thousand Mozambican refugees to Malawi.’122 it is not needed to involve directly even they can use their puppet government of neighboring countries or they do not initiate to solve the problem which was created due to the misunderstanding between the neighboring countries. India for example remained as spectator in the driving away process of Nepalese origin people from Bhutan. ‘Around one hundred thousand Bhutanese refugees are living in different part of Nepal. Refugee problem comes directly to the next country. India drove away the Bhutanese refugee towards Nepal. It is a part of terrorism created by the regional powers
5. Market Terrorism.
Creating market monopoly is a part of market terrorism, to create monopoly any type of trick can be applied. So small scale industries would not survive in the neighboring countries which is a great barrier towards self reliance. Self reliance is needed in the early part of the economic development of the developing countries. If we do not accept the self reliance policy, the world economy, monetary system would be controlled by a small number of capitalist. Regional powers are invading directly or indirectly in the market of the technically less developed neighboring countries. Nepal’s economic problem is to compete with the Indian and Chinese products that are cheaper in the market. The same type of problem is in Southern African countries. South Africa is providing is in Southern African countries. South Africa is providing more qualitative product in the market than the manufactured in the country. They are not only providing cheaper goods, they are also trying to control trade with the developed countries. If these regional powers feel as threat t their international trade from neighboring countries. Directly or indirectly they will create problem to the neighboring countries. Countries like Nepal will be forced to export their products by air transportation which is a costly affair. As a result, demand will be less in the international market. The national economy and unemployment rate will be increased dramatically.
Nepal has been exporting handmade woolen carpets in the European market. In early 90s, Nepal’s carpet is labeled as product of child labor but the fact is different. Nepalese carpet producers were sending carpets to Netherlands for washing which was costly. To cut down the cost of carpet, and to be competitive in the world market, Nepalese established carpet washing plant. As a result, the washing plant of the Netherlands threatened as well as some jobs of Dutch people. So they publicized child labor to the buyer in European countries. The point which I would like to clear that Nepal was selling the carpets since many decades and the buyer in European countries never raised the issue of child labor. Certainly the child labor as a form of exploitation should not be accepted. They know child labor is slightly better as a form of training than child abuse of their own developed country. When they felt threatened their business and job market due to the development of developing country then they raised the question of child labor. This is a characteristic of Hegemonies and it is a part of market terrorism.
The countries which are destabilized throughout the world have done to create their market. Let us look at the example of Angolan civil war. Angolan civil war has been going on since past twenty years. How and when it will end is up to the decision of their aligned super or regional powers. The war against the Angolan people and its economy is ruined. ‘In Angola, South African forces intervened openly and massively along side of its proxy force –UNITA- that was supplied by US.124 This civil war ‘displaced over 1.5 million people, and made refugees of 500,000 (five hundred thousand) more. Angola has the largest number (40,000) of limbless people.’125
Another example of Chile: ‘Chile is a country of South American continent where socialist allied regime nationalized the American owned copper industry. The Western Bank cancelled their loans, the American government reduced its aid to almost nothing and the CIA and a group of multinationals engaged in a destabilization campaign which brought right wing government to power.’ The same story repeated in Jamaica, ‘where the Prime Minister Michael Mainly increased taxation on the Aluminum ore which is exported by Western multinationals. These company helped finance the election campaign of his right wing opponent, Edward Seaga.’126
All these ate the examples which are brought for overlooking the existing situation of human being and the threat is posed by the human fellow. The powers are trying to exploit the natural resources for their own benefit. If a weaker country tries to uplift their situations, they are suppressed. It is a clear content of dehumanization. These powers are busy for developing their military capabilities whereas millions of people are malnourished, dying from starvation and sleeping under the sacks. This is clear evidence that human being is degrading.
This article is retrieved from the unpublished book ‘ Human Being on Disappearing Track’ of Dr. Nimananda Rijal. The book was written during the decade of 1990.
