A diplomat's worldview
Shahedul Anam Khan appreciates a collection of essays
9 November 2007, 18:00 PM
Reflections on the Dynamics of International Affairs: Vol I & Ii
Muhammad Zamir
Nymphea Publication, Dhaka
The two volumes are a collection of articles by the author on world affairs that appeared in various newspapers in Bangladesh and abroad during a period which have come to be characterised as the most interesting as well as defining months and years in international relations in the post cold war era. Almost all the articles were written between the time the mainland of the US, so long considered invincible, was attacked on an eerie morning of September 11, 2001, and September 2006.
Perhaps the author is being modest when he entitles the book as 'reflections.' I think it is more than mere reflections since the author does an admirable job of offering his own analyses of the issues that he dwells on in each of the articles. The articles are not restricted either to international affairs only since the two volumes are made up of issues covering trade, environment, et al.
Muhammad Zamir, a former diplomat, lends a deep insight in all of the nearly hundred pieces that appear in the two volumes, born out of the wide experience gathered over a period of thirty-five years service, a large part of which was spent in representing Bangladesh in many of the world's capitals as well as in international organisations. His comments on the future of NATO or the prognosis of the EU are the result of his hands-on experience and firsthand knowledge of the mindset of the Western policy makers.
The first of the two volumes covers a very wide array of subjects and a broad spectrum of issues very well set up in five chapters like the EU, UN, US, NATO and international economic and environmental issues. The author summarises the contents of each chapter in a commentary form that gives coherence to the articles.
This volume deals largely on interstate relations and the various scenarios that are likely to evolve, and the transformation that might eventuate in entities like the EU and NATO and most of all the UN, which, in spite of the talks about reforms, remains hamstrung by its inherent debility. His prognosis reflects the common man's apprehension and doubt about the effectiveness of world body.
The second volume is taken up largely by issues such as terrorism, Islam, the war on terror, the ME and the current flashpoints in the globe, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Palestine / Israel. One finds in the articles a very cogent examination of the consequences of the war on terror, and the effects of enlarging the footprints of the US intervention in Iraq. One must agree, regrettably that some of his predictions have turned out to be true.
An interesting aspect of the book is that the articles not only address issues that are contemporaneous; the author also relates those to the situation in Bangladesh and how those might affect us in the long and short run. The geopolitical perspectives offered make very interesting reading.
Although the articles appear not in any chronological sequence in the newspapers, they have been so organised in the book as to give them continuity.
As is bound to happen in a collection or rather conglobation of articles written over a period of time and encapsulated in a book form, it does not catch the inter-temporal changes, nor are they expected to. What is important and of relevance is that the articles capture the mood of the time that they were penned in. It is a handy book for all students of international affairs.
Brig. Gen. (Retd.) Shahedul Anam Khan, ndc, psc, is Editor, Defence & Strategic Affairs, The Daily Star.
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