Resolved: Pakistan is not a legitimate sovereign state

Resolved: Pakistan is not a legitimate sovereign state Framework There are three main interpretive stratums of sovereignty that are juggled in the realm of international relations: The first is the notion that sovereignty does not actually exist and it is a figment of human moral and logical reasoning. This is an argument posed by many anarchists and it derives from the argument that governments are based and maintained in compulsion and even violence which would debase any claim to legitimate sovereignty. I could argue this position but I will not, and it wouldn’t make sense for my opponent to argue this position since if all sovereignty is illegitimate then by logical implication Pakistan would have no claim to sovereignty. The second is the notion that sovereignty is an absolute right of nation states and all territorial governments have claim to legitimacy (a position held by ultra-realists). The issue with this interpretation is that is exempts all governments from irrational, unethical, violent and coercive behavior held account to no authority other than its own arbitrary existence. This would be problematic for my opponent to defend since it voids all notions of legitimacy and governmental accountability. The third and most apt interpretation for both my opponent and I is the notion that sovereignty is balanced between legitimacy and illegitimacy. In other words, there are levels to a nation states’ claim to sovereign authority over a territorial region. The United Nations has dictated four criteria which indicate whether a nation has credible and legitimate justification for a status of being a sovereign state. The first is that the nation state cannot have been involved, planning on or involved in genocide or genocidal related violations. This can be justified through the fact that when government’s claim authority over a region of people they are creating a reciprocal relationship. Genocide or genocidal relation violations degrade that relationship by having the government involved or having condoned actions which debase all notions of human rights, individual liberties and human worth. The second is that the nation state cannot harbor, promote, finance or aid transnational criminal organizations, which includes terror organizations, drug cartels and human trafficking circles. This standard can be justified by the fact that transnational criminal organizations participate in actions which disrupt the operations of other state’s legitimate actions and dealings and willingly act with disregard for human life and human worth. The third is that the nation state cannot have violated the integrity of another nation which has legitimate claims to sovereignty. This can be justified by the fact that in a realm where all nations must co-exist and work towards their own ends peacefully a nation which seeks its own gain by violating the integrity of another debases international legal and normative ethical standards. The fourth is that the nation cannot violate established norms dealing with nuclear weapons or illegitimate nuclear material. This can be justified because at the point in the development of weaponry, nuclear technology poses the greatest threat to the livelihood and security of nation states. In its development illegitimate nuclear technology distorts the international balance between nation states and causes a variety of adverse effects such as arms races. C1: Pakistan has participated in genocidal activities This is a fact probably not known to many in the West, but the authorities of Pakistan have condoned and have turned a blind eye to systematic brutality and killing of Shia ethnic groups in Baluchistan, a province of Pakistan. Pakistan as a nation is divided into different regions of the country with differing ethnic groups. The most politically dominant region is the Punjab which has controlled Pakistan since its inception and secession from India. However, essentially all the other regions of Pakistan and especially Baluchistan hold separatist politically groups seeking independence from the Pakistani state. In response the Pakistani authorities have for many years now have systematically violated the rights of the ethnic groups in Baluchistan. The DT indicates a small sample of recently killed Shia Muslims: “However, before I proceed further, let there be no doubt that those massacred recently in Quetta used to identify themselves as Shia Muslims and belonged to the ethnic Hazara community. Their names are: Ms Bakht Jamal, Zafar, Alam Khan, Ghulam Sakhi, Hafizullah, Nazir Hussain, Mubarak Shah (Spini Road attack March 29, 2012), Ejaz Hussain and Ali Asghar (Kirani Road attack April 2, 2012), Qurban Ali, Muhammad Zia, Muhammad Hussain, Shabir, Nadir Ali, Saeed Ahmad (Prince Road attack April 9, 2012); Muhammad and Ms. Fatima (Sattar Road and Kasi Road respectively, April 13, 2012), Abdullah, Juma Ali, Muhammad Ali, Syed Asghar Shah, Eid Muhammad (Brewery Road April 14, 2012), and Suleiman Ali (Kawari Road April 16, 2012). This list is neither exhaustive nor includes the injured.” [1] C2: Pakistan deals with transnational terror organizations Matthew Waldman published a work called The Sun in the Sky: The Relationship between Pakistani’s ISI and Afghan Insurgents. This work was based off of numerous interviews with current and formers members of the Taliban: “The author conducted semi-structured interviews…with nine insurgent field commanders…ten former senior Taliban…5 twenty-two Afghan elders, tribal leaders, politicians and analysts; and thirteen foreign diplomats, experts and security officials”. This interviewed work demonstrates clearly the relationship between the Pakistanis and the Afghani Taliban and Haqqani network. Waldman isolates numerous points of contention when evaluating the impact and extent of the relationship between the ISI and these groups. The Taliban and the ISI are involved in a reciprocal relationship which has developed into a necessary synthesis of the two groups. The interviews indicate that to sustain the Afghani insurgency, the Afghani Taliban need and are dependent upon the Pakistanis for supplies, training and sanctuary. This in turn gives the Pakistanis the advantage of increased regional strength and influence. Waldman writes: “According to a Talib… President Zadari told them they were arrested because he was under a lot of pressure from the Americans and that, ‘you are our people, we are friends, and after your release we will of course support you to do your operations’”. Throughout the interview it becomes clear that the government, as indicated by top level officials, is indeed colluding with these terrorist groups. [2] Moreover, Pakistan has funded terror operations in India almost since the creation of the state of Pakistan. Recently there was a terror attack in Mumbai trained, funded and carried out by terror groups in Pakistan. [3] C3: Pakistan has violated established international standards on nuclear technology Pakistan is most noted in the world of science for being the creator of the nuclear black market started by Professor Kahn. This nuclear black market is responsible for the reason we are in the nuclear mess on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea and Pakistan have been major partners in exchanging nuclear technology, and has brought about North Korea’s nuclear program. This violates the NPT and various other nuclear trade standards and regulations instituted by the UN and the IAEA. As a result, it is partially Pakistan’s fault for the continuing deterioration and destabilization of the Korean Peninsula. [4] [1] http://www.dailytimes.com.pk...\04\19\story_19-4-2012_pg3_2 [2] http://www.debate.org... [3] http://www.guardian.co.uk... [4] http://news.bbc.co.uk...