In the Opening Address at the 2011 Sydney
Writers Festival, Fatima Bhutto, scion of the Pakistani political
dynasty, addresses the current state of her country. Her talk focuses
on Pakistan’s love/hate relationship with the United States and, in this
way, reminds us of their parallel "nervous breakdowns." Pakistan is, at once, a country plagued by natural disasters, endemic
political corruption, religious fundamentalism and is claimed by many
to be the central headquarters of Islamist terrorism. Bhutto sees this
condition Pakistan suffers as a plain result of crippling
conspiracy-theorizing and manifesting as paranoiac nuclear armament.But Bhutto finds not all the fault lies at home. She speaks to the
West’s hypocrisy with regards to its aggressive “freedom fighting”,
including its ever-mounting use of Drone strikes under Obama’s
presidency and the civilian casualties which are beyond measure.Bhutto is an activist on many fronts, but has no desire to run for
political office ... understandable perhaps when four of her close
relatives were lost to political violence and assassination.Fatima Bhutto is an Afghan-born Pakistani poet and
writer. She studied at Columbia University and the School of Oriental
and African Studies at the University of London. Bhutto is the
granddaughter of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and niece of
Benazir Bhutto. She graduated from Columbia University in 2004,
majoring in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and from the School
of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2005 with a Masters in South
Asian Government and Politics. Her books include Whispers of the
Desert, 8.50 am 8 October 2005 and, most recently, Songs of Blood
and Sword. She is a regular contributor to the New Statesman, The
Daily Beast and The Guardian.
Bio
Fatima Bhutto
Fatima Bhutto is an Afghan-born Pakistani poet and writer. She studied at Columbia University and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Bhutto is the granddaughter of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and niece of Benazir Bhutto. She graduated from Columbia University in 2004, majoring in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2005 with a Masters in South Asian Government and Politics. Her books include Whispers of the Desert, 8.50 am 8 October 2005 and most recently, Songs of Blood and Sword. She is a regular contributor to the New Statesman, The Daily Beast and The Guardian.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Country, southern Asia. Area: 340,499 sq mi (881,889 sq km). Population (2009 est.): 174,579,000. Capital: Islamabad. The population is a complex mix of indigenous peoples who have been affected by successive waves of migrations of Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Pashtuns, Mughals, and Arabs. Languages: Urdu (national), English, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi. Religions: Islam (official; predominantly Sunni); also Christianity, Hinduism. Currency: Pakistani rupee. Pakistan may be divided into four regions: the northern mountains, the Balochistan Plateau, the Indus Plain, and the desert areas. The Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan ranges form the great mountain areas of the northernmost part of the country; some of the highest peaks are K2 and Nanga Parbat. The country has a developing mixed economy based largely on agriculture, light industries, and services. Remittances from Pakistanis working abroad are a major source of foreign exchange. Pakistan is a federal republic with two legislative houses; its head of state is the president, and its head of government is the prime minister. The area has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BCE. From the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE, it was part of the Mauryan and Kushan kingdoms. The first Muslim conquests were in the 8th century CE. The British East India Co. subdued the reigning Mughal dynasty in 1757. During the period of British colonial rule, what is now (Muslim) Pakistan was part of (Hindu) India. The new state of Pakistan came into existence in 1947 by act of the British Parliament. The Kashmir region remained a disputed territory between Pakistan and India, with tensions resulting in military clashes and full-scale war in 1965. Civil war between East and West Pakistan in 1971 resulted in independence for Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) in 1972. Many Afghan refugees migrated to Pakistan during the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s and remained there during the Taliban and post-Taliban periods. Pakistan elected Benazir Bhutto, the first woman to head a modern Islamic state, in 1988. She and her party were ousted in 1990, but she returned to power in 1993–97. Conditions became volatile during that period. Border flare-ups with India continued, and Pakistan conducted tests of nuclear weapons. Political conditions worsened, and the army carried out a coup in 1999.
Obama always objected the war that GW Bush started in Iraq, and he has repeatedly said that. In fact he voted against it as a senator back then. So it is unfair to blame him for the Iraq war and ask him to apologize for a war that he didn't start and objected to.
By the way, US army, the government and it's people always regretted killing of civilians and no army personnel ever gets up in the morning thinking that they start their day by killing civilians senselessly as you are misrepresenting it. Instead of spending so much time at the hair salon, you better spend that time getting your facts together.
Oh by the way, how many times did Bin Laden attack US targets and how many times US let him slide because of possible civilian casualty risk before being forced into military response against Afghanistan. Oh! I almost forgot, how many billions of dollars has US given Pakistan's government (and continues to do so) to spend on civil projects which is suppose to empower the people of that country? You unappreciative arrogant coward have the nerve to step on that podium and blame US for the unfortunate civil casualties that US apologized, did it's best to prevent, provided financial support to empower your country? If your corrupt government worked for it's own people better (I mean a lot better!) throughout it's history, and also didn't hide Bin Laden in a compound for years under it's nose, then US could have gotten to him earlier without risking unfortunate civilian lives. So, stop being the coward you are, stop playing victim and stop blaming the US for every little shit that goes wrong in your country. You got some f..kin nerve.
Bhutto's disparaging comments from the start reveal an overarching arrogance that causes the points she is trying to make become empty japes. Like many who share her opinions she is from a wealthy family, attended some of the better and more expensive schools in the west, and writes poetry. In her world view Americans send their armed forces into Pakistan to kill civilians and the "murder" of Bin Laden was unjust and ironic. In her world view (probably shared with Saif Gaddafi) the western intervention in Libya is about perpetual war, not justice or the Arab spring.
For me there is less meaning in rebuttal and more in just seeing what she is: a privileged Pakistani who takes advantage of all the accoutrements of the west while inveighing in the haughty, shrill tones on the difficult moral and circumstantial realities others have to deal with.
I think it is interesting that, in a war, only America is held morally accountable for wrongdoing. The enemy America is fighting purposely targets civilians through suicide bombings and executions yet faces no moral objection from the international community. While the legitimacy of going to Iraq is err...questionable at best, the legitimacy of going to Afghanistan is directly derived from 3000 American civilians being deliberately targeted and killed in one morning.
I think the ONLY way the Taliban can combat these drones is politically through civilian deaths. If you were them then, what would you be doing?
ONE DRONE ATTACK IS TOO MUCH AMERICAN KILLERS. NO TROOPS COME BECAUSE NO JOBS 500,000 Military Killers With nothing to do AT HOME NO JOBS NO THERAPY!
USA-CIA needs to keep troops over seas, Somalia & Sudan is next and circle around to get To Iran, With Pakistan nukes. YES USA Will remove Paki nukes or Drone them to death. long distance killing you can not smell the blood. USA CHICKEN POOP, WITH DRONE KILLINGS. WAR ECONOMY is also kissing Communist Chinese BUTTS. SO PAKISTAN IS ON TARGET SAUDIS GENOCIDE BAHRAIN AND TOGETHER IRAN WILL BE ATTACKED SAUDI KING SAYS SO! HER NUMBERS ARE VERY LOW DRONE FOR EVERY ONE TARGET GOTTEN !== DIE FOR NOTHING: 10 years 4 TRILLION Dollars 8000 USDA dead and ONE OLD MAN who was on CIA PAYROLL 20 years, great investment SHAME! ARAB SPRING IS A CIA OPERATION WATCH NEXT 2 years HA HA laugh CORPORATE EUGENICS IN ACTION!
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