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FIVE STAR PIECE
I was concerned about passing this piece on. A nuclear incident is such a
serious prospect that it perhaps isn't appropriate to bandy about any
individual's two cents. However, this letter, about a media-hype regarding
the imminence of the threat from India and Pakistan, was written by a friend
of a friend Michael Hathaway says, "Stephen Huyler is originally from
Ojai, California, where our families have known each other since the mid-fifties."
Seeing as I know it comes from a credible source, it seems like a valuable
contribution. "I am appalled by the approach of the
American media to the current violence in Kashmir. It is deeply
irresponsible,
sensationalistic and condescending for our headlines and reports to
emphasize the 'likelihood' or 'extreme possibility' of nuclear war between
India and Pakistan."
-Suzanne-
June 3, 2002
Calm Down a Little
Stephen Huyler
Dear Friends,
As a scholar and field researcher who has spent more than thirty years
working in and with South Asia, I am appalled by the approach of the
American media to the current violence in Kashmir. It is deeply
irresponsible,
sensationalistic and condescending for our headlines and reports to
emphasize the 'likelihood' or 'extreme possibility' of nuclear war between
India and Pakistan. It assumes that South Asians are hot-headed, incapable
of making
rational decisions and likely to go off half-cocked into a war that might
destroy hundreds of millions of their citizens.
I have lived my entire life with the possibility of nuclear holocaust. That
possibility remains. But it is not greatly heightened at the moment by the
violent hostilities between India and Pakistan. Those hostilities have
existed since both countries' independence from the British in 1947. Only
rarely during those 55 years has there been open communication between the
two enemies. Kashmir has always been at the heart of their problem and, like
Northern Ireland and Israel, there does not seem to be much hope for a
resolution. But that does not mean that the governments of those countries,
or factions within them, will resort to nuclear annihilation. The two are
not the same at all!
I have been in close contact with Indian friends over the past days and
weeks. According to them, there is no call for the use of nuclear weapons in
India or Pakistan. There is no intention of the administration or the
populace to engage in any kind of nuclear battle. They are offended that
Western superpowers think that they would. The nuclear weapons that they now
have are intended to be used for detente, not for mass destruction. As one
of
my friends remarked: a nuclear war will virtually wipe out Pakistan and
kill
as many as 100 million Indians, not to mention the effects it will have on
the rest of South Asia and the world. No one would consider that as a
feasible choice. As another said: even if there was a strong lobby for the
use of nuclear weapons (which there is not), both countries are entirely
dependent upon cordial cultural, political and economic relationships with
western countries. Engaging in nuclear war would entirely alienate all of
their present allies, indeed all of the rest of the world. They are not so
short sighted!
So please, if you are strongly considering the current news hype on the
possibility of nuclear war in South Asia, calm down a little. Let us focus
our energy where it is most needed: on our own country and our own
responsibilities with regards to exactly what damage we are causing in
Central Asia and what is the truth in our relationships with Saudi Arabia,
the Bin Laden family, and multinationals, among other things. The
sensationalistic manipulation of our news media can easily divert us from
present necessities.
Truly the best thing we can do for South Asia at the moment is not to write
letters protesting the possibility of nuclear war, as many friends have
urged
me recently, but to focus our attention on prayers for healing. They may
have
much more affect.
In deep sincerity and good will,
Stephen Huyler
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