In the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, and that between Iran and Israel, the true winners were the Chinese J-10C fighter jets, whose market value soared, and the Iranian missiles that crossed over 2,000 km to cause strategic damage. The losers were French Rafale jets, whose market plummeted, and Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling, whose invincibility was shattered.

Few are concerned about the millions of dollars these killing machines cost, and human casualties and homes destroyed are of even less consequence. The American former government official and political commentator Col Douglas Macgregor, in a sobering interview tellingly titled ‘Follow the Money, Not the Missiles’, revealed the financial motives of faceless investors behind the attempt to neutralise countries seen to be ‘obstacles’ in accessing control of resources.

Is this the final achievement of becoming a modern state? This may be a naïve question, but it is the naïve who are roused to battle, and into laying down their lives for what turns out to be vested economic interests.

In a rush to ape the trajectories of Western nations and monolithic definitions of ‘development’, so-called ‘underdeveloped’ countries run the risk of losing sight of what truly matters

The sociologist Wolfgang Sachs says, “Development has changed the face of the earth, but not in the way it had intended.” Development was to enable “escape from the undignified condition called underdevelopment.” To achieve this, he says, nations were expected to follow Athenian ideas of democracy, read the English novel, follow US guidelines on parenting, emulate Western social values, and educational and economic systems.

Monolithic notions of development set aside the history and traditions of individual countries to line them up in lanes of a race track to “graduate” countries from LDCs (Low Development Countries) to LICs (Low Income Countries) and finally to MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries), such as the countries of Europe, the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Of course, they can never be allowed to win this race, which they eternally strive for, hence becoming what one may call EDCs (Eternally Dependent Countries).

Modern is a relative term. There are many historical examples of progressive nations that modernised. Roughly 5,000 years ago, the Indus Valley Civilisation was probably the first example of organised urban planning, with an extensive trade network, standardised weights, well-planned housing, sanitation, a seemingly peaceful, egalitarian society, and granary and water storage systems.

By the fifth century, the Gupta dynasty had established the golden age of India, with political stability and significant advancements in literature, astronomy, mathematics, medicine and art. India soon became the world’s largest economy.

In the 7th century, the Khalifa Umar (RA) established the first modern welfare state. The Bait-ul-maal was established to fund development projects and the welfare of the needy. Administrative departments managed different aspects of the state, along with a special department for the investigation of complaints against the officers of the state. There was an independent judiciary, a salaried state army and police, with a list of able-bodied reservists when needed, regulation of prices and licensing of traders, urban planning, formal schooling and the protection of minorities. With the expansion of Islam, many of these ideas filtered into Europe.

These great ages stand lost in time, devalued by the great disruption. Yet, the distinct identities of many nations lumped together as underdeveloped has survived through art, craft, song, dance, language and storytelling. Perhaps, as in Pakistan where only eight percent speak English as their first language, they remain uninfluenced by the ‘influencers’.

The Ghanaian concept of ‘sankofa’ [go back and gather], is seen as a powerful tool for navigating changes while maintaining a strong and spiritual sense of identity. As the poet Mir Taqi Mir wrote: “Chashm ho to aaina-khana hai dahr/ Munh nazar aata hai deewaron ke beech [If you have the eyes to see, time is a house of mirrors/ You see your reflection within each wall].”

While governments of developing countries are pressured to follow the European ideal of progress, the larger community lives within their vernacular spaces, picking and choosing technologies and systems deemed useful while maintaining their traditional practices. Governments need to catch up with the people, to redefine the trajectory of progress and look for success in the eyes of the people rather than intergovernmental agencies.

Some governments have done just that. Guyana is the only country in the world that has complete food self-sufficiency. In 2020, its agricultural budget was increased by 400 percent and young people were encouraged to turn to farming. Burkina Faso’s strategic disruption of foreign exploitation keeps the nation’s eye on long term goals of dignity and self-reliance. Their message: it’s time to move on.

Durriya Kazi is a Karachi-based artist.
She may be reached at durriyakazi1918@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 6th, 2025