By Syed Ammar Faheem

Sunday, 19th October – 2008

America is collapsing under systems and practices of its own. In such turbulent times, when not only the USA but Europe as well, face this man made financial catastrophe – the world is looking towards China with hope and despair! Why are we still allied to the USA? How do we define the terms friend, ally and enemy?

America is collapsing under systems and practices of its own. The capitalist model is failing. The United States of America faces nothing but humiliation as it will have to take tough measures to ensure its very existence and strength.

These tough measures will include withdrawing of forces from both Iraq and Afghanistan where the so-called ‘war against terror’ has failed miserably and has come at a tremendous cost to the American nation. Plans for strategic hegemony over the Middle-East and South Asia are not working quite in the right direction either.

In such turbulent times, when not only the USA but Europe as well, face this man made financial catastrophe – the world is looking towards China with hope and despair!

With the world’s largest foreign currency reserves, China sits over almost 2 trillion US dollars comfortably with reserves increasing rapidly at a rate of $40 billion per month.

Financial experts in the United States suggest that a $500 billion loan from China could put an end to this economic impasse and save the capitalist world from a total collapse.

In Pakistan, we still look towards the USA. How ironic could things be? With such strong and deep rooted relations with China, we still have to accept this fact that China is changing the unified polarity of the world; that China has emerged as a super power from Asia.

The new government in Pakistan ignored China as much as it possibly could, with no ambassador being sent for almost six months.

We have to decide once and for all and define what we mean when we say ‘friend’, ‘ally’ or an ‘enemy’. Is China not our friend? Are we just an ‘ally’ to the United States and not a ‘friend’ to them? Is India no longer our ‘enemy’ in the region?

With all that we have witnessed, the USA is certainly not a friend. We may be allied in fighting terrorists and terrorism (planted inside our territory and funded by the CIA), but history suggests the USA has never been a friend to Pakistan. We need to underline this here, that the USA has always stabbed Pakistan in the back.

Take the very recent drone attack on the area which is a known TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) stronghold, Ladha, hours after they announced their willingness to lay down arms and enter into negotiations with the government. The United States has made it a matter of routine to strike all those tribes and areas that come out for peace with the Pakistani nation. They infuriate them further to leave them with no choice but to keep fighting.

We have to move towards China. We have to focus ourselves now. This one major shift in our foreign policy will put an end to all our domestic problems. We have to come out and declare that the United States is NOT our friend. We have to support China as much as we can and look for their guidance as their friendship is time-tested and proven. They have invested heavily in Pakistan in projects like the Gawadar port and the China Mobile company to name a few. They are willing to fulfill our electricity and power needs.

President Zardari’s visit to China (finally) comes as a relief to the people of Pakistan amid growing concern that the new government somehow wanted to distance itself from China. Even Beijing was feeling the strain in our relationship.

When the West itself is now looking towards China with desperation and hope, why don’t we take this step and shun support to the United States once and for all? Let us stop banking on the USA, because the US Empire stands on pillars of sand. We will slip with it if we don’t make this decisive shift soon.

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