Maria Waqar’s articles seems to be a misunderstanding of Pervez Hoodhboy’s main argument.
AUCKLAND: Maria Waqar’s articles seems to be a misunderstanding of Pervez Hoodhboy’s main argument. He did not claim that modern states cannot succumb to notions of honour. His point is that by doing so, states tend to shoot themselves in the foot; hence the examples of Nazi Germany and Fascist Japan. Of course, leaders who stoke up passions built around honour normally have deeper motives such as greater power for themselves or even just to secure their weakening authority.
Dr Hoodbhoy’s point is that whatever the real motivation, appeals to national honour reduce strategic options and tend to lock states onto a rigid pathway and that this is detrimental to the states’ real interests in the long term.
Shehzad Shah
Published in The Express Tribune, May 15th, 2012.
