South Asia should not hitch its wagon to the star of the West!
DETROIT, MI, US: Shahid Javed Burki’s article of September 5 titled “The state in South Asia” suggests that it is not so much the quantity but the quality of human beings that determines what a nation’s standing will be. That is precisely why a nation with about 300 million is the king of the hill right now as opposed to nations with population that run into billions. China is a sweat shop, turning out cheap and shoddy goods of American designs on machines America has supplied, with the capital America has provided, for (mainly) the American market. Most of their stuff is sold in dollar stores. India did not go the China way because endemic to China’s situation is the fate experienced by Japan. In the 1960s and 70s, the world could not have enough of what Japan produced. However, today, Japan’s economy is seriously sick. South Asia should not hitch its wagon to the star of the West! I know this would be anathema to many in this area but the Indians.
G Din
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2011.
