Just south of Murghab, on the road to Osh, lies a compound that in its slightly derelict state looks more like a Ranch on the set of a Western. Guarded by the remnants of the Soviet past … … locals know it as a place they are still prohibited of entering. They claim that it … Continue reading
Not only for our driver during work in Kashmir whom we knew very well and he equally knew and understood us, was I coming from a place ‘Peshawarse pichai’ [from behind/beyond Peshawar]. Continue reading
Apart from a number of other approaches, I think understanding the space the public debate is refering to when talking of ‘the lawless regions of Pakistan’, ‘the tribal belt’ or ‘the Northwest of Pakistan’ is a fundamental prerequisite to discuss the drone war and then taken further the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Continue reading
The debate on the use of drones in the Afghanistan – Pakistan borderlands has been hijacked, by its defenders just like by those who condemn the drone war. Statistics, legal arguments and some dramatic personal accounts can all be used to argue for or against. What these debates all fail to do is to describe what significance the drone war actually has for the population in the targeted areas – they are largely used to keep people who are far away from the Predator’s impact busy. People like me. I am just acting in perfect bhutto/zardari-like fashion – have a say in it all while keeping my assets save here in Switzerland. Continue reading
It is noteable with what unease and regret the Pakistani community members talked about their (former) homecountry when I adressed it. Even returning for visits of relatives or their place of upbringing is not an option anymore. Continue reading
Among critical Western tourists they are altogether regarded as a sham (least so probably the Lahore Museum). Displays are poorly explained, often no coherence in the overall setup is visible and cultural propaganda is obvious – I find just that to be a good reason to visit these museums and take all your time to walk through it even if the guard already threatens to turn the room’s light off to get you moving. Continue reading
Das offizielle Chinesisch-Pakistanische Friendship Jahr ist vorbei, eine chinesische Frau wurde in Peshawar als Antwort auf die kürzlich wieder in den Medien aufscheinenden Riots in Xinjiang erschossen, und wir schliessen damit diese Serie hier auch. Zum Schluss gibt es die spannendsten Theorien zu dieser Beziehung, über die sich trefflich diskutieren lässt ohne auch nur einen Schimmer einer Ahnung zu haben – ganz im Stile der hier in den letzten Teilen vorgestellten medialen Auseinandersetzung mit diesen zwei Ländern. Continue reading
Spätestens seit den Demonstrationen in Teheran im Sommer 2009 haben so genannte Social Media Applikationen (Facebook und Twitter) die westliche Berichterstattung über ganze Weltregionen – und damit auch die allgemeine Wahrnehmung derselben – wesentlich beeinflusst. Ganz besonders trifft dies für die arabische Welt und das westliche und vor allem muslimische Asien zu, das vermehrt im geopolitischen Medienfokus steht. Der Wert dieser Quellen ist begrenzt. Erstens handelt es sich meist um keinen repräsentativen Teil der Bevölkerung. Zweitens schränkt die Notwendigkeit einen Internetzugang zu haben und sich darüber hinaus eloquent auf Englisch ausdrücken zu können, um auch wahrgenommen zu werden, die Auswahl auf die urbane Oberschicht ein, die oft noch im Westen, der Zielregion ihrer Information, ausgebildet wurde oder sogar teilweise dort lebt. Continue reading
In the Afghan’s carpet shops letters and photos of female Swedish NGO workers are passed around while a family member just returned from Waziristan talks about his experiences with a Mehsud lashkar which he left to take some days off in cooler Kashmir. Continue reading
Literature on the nexus between Water and Conflict is extensive and the debate on very basic principles of the discussion is very much in process. A number of papers are simply dedicated to give an overview over different publications and viewpoints1. With increasing stress on the resource around the world, in quantity and quality and to different degrees in different parts of the world, the issue is gaining considerable weight. And with that, hyperbole. Continue reading
