Friday, November 25, 2011

The economic entrenchment of military versus democracy

by Salman Hameed

Protests in Egypt are boiling up again. As has been the case in so many countries, we are seeing the military refusing to let go of the power into the civilian hands. Here is a short interview (about 6 minutes) with Vali Nasr where he talks about Egypt and compares it to the positive case of Turkey and the negative case of Pakistan. One key factor: How entrenched is the military in a country's economy.

Listen to the interview here. For the Pakistan case, Ayesha Siddiqa provided some stunning details in her well researched book, Military, Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy. I know the context is very different (especially because of the ongoing war in Afghanistan), but may be changes in Turkey and Egypt may also prove to be an inspiration for a civilian movement in Pakistan - perhaps rekindling the original spirit of the Lawyer's Movement of 2007. 

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