"Why Pakistan Matters" Lecture Reflection

      On September 2nd, 2014, I attended Ethan Casey's public lecture titled "Why Pakistan Matters". Ethan Casey is a journalist, author and publisher from Wisconsin who went on extended travels to Pakistan and wrote the novel Alive and Well in Pakistan: A Human Journey in a Dangerous Time. At the beginning of the lecture he commented that although most publications about Pakistan portray it as a foreign problem for the US, in his novel he attempts to show a more neutral and open perspective on the country as a whole. He had about nine main points about what he believes every American should understand about Pakistan and the United States.
       First, there is immense human suffering going on in the region of Pakistan and this is something we as first world countries to be aware of. Second, Pakistan's most effective institution is their military, much like the power of the United States military. Third, their government does not provide health care or education which can in turn make us as Americans realize how fortunate we are and hopefully be encouraged to make an effort to encourage education and health care in these less-fortunate countries. Fourth, Pakistan often has the perception that it is the homeland for Muslims and therefore is based on abstract ideas and not concrete realities. This can make legislature always in a state of unrest and therefore unstable compared to the US. Fifth, there is strategic depth to the area which relates to the control of Afghanistan, which is something the United States is constantly trying to do. Sixth, us as Americans conflate terrorists with Muslims and stereotype them as the "bad guys" which is a very flawed accusation. Seventh, the United States is not necessarily the "good guys" and we are often close-minded with that perception. Eighth, there is a difference between patriotism and nationalism with nationalism having a more aggressive connotation and he argued that the US puts too much emphasis towards this nationalism. Finally, due to strong militaries, he stated that both nations were susceptible to encouraging and producing war and war truly is the one clear "bad guy".
      He then commented on the surveillance and the use of drones currently in the United States as well as in Pakistan and how that is something that will impact both countries in the future. He also commented that 60% of the Pakistan population is under 20 years old and stated that in order to create progress and peace between Pakistan and the United States, their young generation and our young generation must collaborate with, understand and appreciate each other.
     Overall, I found his lecture very interesting and eye-opening. The comments that stood out to me the most were the ones discussing nationalism vs patriotism and the military's role in today's society as well as his encouragement, especially to us young adults, to learn about and begin to understand Pakistan on a personal level. He made a comment when referring to the military that he believed that the glorification of the military is not right and should be adjusted. He basically said that teachers and scholars should be getting the same amount of recognition as the military. This particular comment was one that I didn't necessarily coincide with. I do agree teachers should get more recognition because knowledge and openness to new knowledge is what leads to peace. However, I do believe the military deserves the recognition they get. Coming from a family in which my uncle is in the Air Force, being a part of the military is grueling and demanding and the people in it are constantly sacrificing for our country. I do believe that the United States' legislatures extreme use of the military and glorification of the military as a whole can sometimes be too much. However, every individual within the military deserves recognition just based on the pure sacrifices they have to make in their every day lives. However, I do agree with his comments on the need for the youth of Pakistan and the youth of the United States to understand and appreciate each other. I personally believe your cannot and should not make assumption about people you have no background knowledge on. Judging someone or even an entire nation on a small article in the newspaper or something you heard about them from your friend is not valid and only leads to stereotyping, hate and eventually war.

    Again, I did find this lecture intellectually enriching. It made me really think about my beliefs and evaluate whether I had allowed stereotypes of Pakistan influence the way I had initially perceived the nation. It definitely inspired me to look into not only the history of Pakistan, but the history of other conflicted Middle Eastern countries.





Bibliography:
         Casey, Ethan. "Why Pakistan Matters." Public Lecture. Moudy North 141, Fort Worth. 2 September. 2014. Lecture.

                     "About Ethan - Ethan Casey." Ethan Casey. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept 2014.