A test case for Pakistan’s diplomacy: Realism of India’s UN ambition-II By Shaukat Umer IN the first part of this article I had tried to explain the dynamics of the process of selection of the UN secretary-general, in addition to briefly examining the prospects of the Indian nominee. I propose to devote this sequel to the possible options available to Pakistan to thwart India’s ambition to occupy the premier multilateral position in the world as this eventuality would directly impinge upon our national interests. First, a brief word on Asia’s turn to occupy the post. Rotation amongst regional groups is a tradition , not a Charter stipulation. U Thant was the last Asian incumbent who vacated the office several decades ago. Since then Europe, Latin America and Africa have had their turn. Reports suggest that the East European countries have also staked their claim with tacit American support. This is a false claim. During the currency of the Cold War this group of countries did indeed represent a specific political ideology which gave it a distinct outlook and a credible claim for separate treatment in UN affairs. That is no longer the case. Most East European countries are now part of the European Union and many have joined Nato. Apart from Russia and possibly Belarus they all vote in unison with the West. In political and economic terms these countries are no longer entitled to separate group treatment, like Asia, Africa or Latin America. Their loyalty and destiny now lie with the west and should in principle be absorbed in that group. The 53 African countries have formally upheld Asia’s turn to provide the next secretary-general. The 114 strong Non-Aligned Movement has decided likewise. This number constitutes a clear majority of the entire UN membership. More importantly, China, too, is committed to support an Asian candidate. The sentiment being overwhelmingly in Asia’s favour, an act of blatant highhandedness would be required to deny Asia its right. The possibility that Shashi Tharoor’s candidacy might be derailed by East European claimants, thus, needs to be effectively ruled out and should not figure in the formulation of our own strategy. Now what should Pakistan do? Essentially we have two options; launch our own candidacy or initiate a diplomatic offensive, starting with the permanent five, to impress upon the international community the deleterious implications of appointing an Indian secretary-general on South Asia and beyond. It might be tempting to field a Pakistani candidate to cancel out the Indian. Here three factors need to be borne in mind; first, our nominee would not be seen as a serious contender for the secretary-generalship but simply a ploy to deny India the post. The merit of our candidate, if we can find one with the right credentials, would figure only marginally in electoral appraisals. The fact that we were caught by surprise by Tharoor’s candidacy constitutes a serious lapse in our diplomatic judgment. Timing is the essence of good diplomacy. The inability of our multilateral machinery to foresee an Indian nomination denied us the opportunity to preempt it by announcing our own interest first. Now, no matter what spin we give, our candidacy would be seen primarily in a spoiler mode. Second, the nature of the selection process mitigates the cancellation phenomenon. In a head to head election it is possible to cancel out a rival by draining votes away from him That would not be possible in the present instance. The Security Council does not vote simultaneously on all the candidates. It takes a separate straw poll on each one of them to determine the overall trend within the Council. The candidate polling the highest votes, without a veto, is then presented as the unanimous choice of the Council. It is difficult to see how under this scenario a Pakistani candidate would be able to cancel out the Indian. Thirdly, does Pakistan have a credible candidate? The names currently been mentioned do not create a state of euphoria. Since they have been colleagues, a personal commentary would be inappropriate. Suffice it to say that the qualities which ensure success within a country are not necessarily accorded similar weight in international assessments. If the decision is indeed in favour of fielding a candidate, simply to make a political statement, then only one name comes to mind; former foreign secretary and state minister, Inam ul Haq. Many concrete and irrefutable arguments are available against an Indian secretary-general, the most potent being the complete absence of regional support for India. Tharoor’s success would be pathbreaking since never before had an individual been appointed the head of a multilateral agency, let alone the United Nations, in the teeth of regional opposition. Is it not pertinent to inquire how could the nominee of a nation, which has conclusively proven itself incapable of living peacefully with its immediate neighb

who gives a rats ass about pak anyways..

Idiocy at its best-- A pakistani talking about his proud terrorist nation

WE ARE HEREBY OFFICIALLY CHANGING THE NAME OF THIS BOARD.HENCEFORTH, THIS BOARD SHALL BE CALLED 'THE GWADAR BOARD' IN RECOGNITION OF AN ALMOST ANAL FIXATION OF ALL PAKISTANIS TO A GLIMMER OF HOPE IN THEIR MISERY: GWADAR.

"That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."

we can tolerate stupidity but not those who are proud of it. ciao.

A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad." ---------------------------------------------- you are right!!now do me a favor...tell that to all those mullahs in your neighborhood who are ready to blow themselves up in hopes of getting laid by 72 virgins once they die. your people can definately use some of that infinite wisdom of yours.

Dont you have any thing else in the whole world to talk about than the mullahs / madrassahs / jihad etc etc. Let me clear this thing to all of you, there is nothing wrong with any of these. no one is perfect and mullahs or to say muslims are no exception. All you need to wait is the time when western media starts exploiting you. Playing the power game of US have not helped any one, the only thing important to her is her interests, once they are finished, she would lift off herself, leaving you in a mess.

"All you need to wait is the time when western media starts exploiting you. Playing the power game of US have not helped any one, the only thing important to her is her interests, once they are finished, she would lift off herself, leaving you in a mess." ----------------------------------------- kissing western a$$ has been a pakistani trait since jinnah.instead of working hard as a nation you relied on western alms to survive and build up your army.no wonder you have been treated like TP.they came,they swiped and they left u in a mess(they forgot to flush!) india is a different case.what we are now is the result of indians working hard as a nation and we'll continue on that path and we will be treated in a different way than some third rate nation with stolen weapons tech.look at what indians have acheived and look at what you have.its self-evident.posers never get respect.next in line to screw ur a$$ is china.every major power will continue to exploit you because of the simple facts mentioned above.so keep praying for survival.its in your best interest.