COPENHAGEN: This is with reference to Britta Petersen’s article of October 27 titled “On strategic depth — a European point of view”.
I must admit that the concept of strategic depth, on the basis of which the writer is arguing, is quite different than the one which is under discussion. The only relevant comparison that I could see is that of Germany under the rule of Adolf Hitler who carried out the worst type of ethnic cleansing and killed millions of innocent Jews. The application of strategic depth in the current scenario connects with the role of big powers in a region that has a history of hostility towards foreign invaders.
The concept of strategic depth that Pakistan has in mind at present is not there for it to regain any historically dominant status that it may have had in South Asia. In the present situation that the country finds itself in, it is not an entirely unrealistic option for it to think that it needs to have some depth to its territory, given that it faces hostile neighbours.
Rana Ather Javed
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2011.
