Bridging the Gap between Theory and Praxis: An Exploration of International Society's Responsibility towards Instability in Pakistan, 1947-2018
My thesis uses the English School theory of international relations to explore the responsibility of the great powers towards insecurity in Pakistan. I question the dominant international narrative on terrorism in Pakistan by uncovering Pakistani perspectives on where responsibility for instability and militancy in the country lies. In doing so, I draw on aesthetic sources, including literature, art, poetry, music and cinema to discover emotional aspects of and underrepresented viewpoints on security in Pakistan. I employ the method of historical interpretation to unearth patterns in Pakistan's domestic history, identifying 2007 as a turning point in the country's history when the power structures shifted from a centralised to a diffused pattern of social control. During this shift, I argue, religious militant groups were one of several social actors who rose to prominence. I further apply the English School's institutions of international society to study the Pakistan-India-Afghanistan region, and find that regional society is surprisingly robust, suggesting that there are foundations on which to build regional security cooperation. Finally, I argue that great powers including the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China have contributed to insecurity in Pakistan and hence have a special responsibility to support counterterrorism and conflict resolution in Pakistan. I pay special attention to terrorist rehabilitation as a "soft" counterterrorism measure and propose that in the wake of the United States' withdrawal of security assistance to Pakistan, international policymakers have a responsibility to contribute not only to Pakistan's military counterterrorism operations, but also to its deradicalisation and disengagement programme for militants.
I am Assistant Professor -- International Studies at FLAME University in Pune, India.
