[image error]

“If you want to feel ten feet tall and as though you could run a hundred miles without stopping, hate beats pure cocaine any day. Hitler resurrected a beaten, bankrupt, half-starved nation with hatred and nothing more. Imagine that.” 

– Kurt Vonnegut, “If This isn’t Nice, What is?”

In this work, the author offers a very unbiased account on the emergent new-age leaders of two largest democracies. The kind of new-age politicians (using the word ‘politicians’ can be preferred over ‘leaders’) who have been dominating the world lately. POTUS Trump. GBR Prime Minister Theresa May. Emerging Right wing party leaders of GER, FRA, NED who recently gathered for Trump victory and discussed about affecting the EU’s economy. The kind of leaders who spent $570 million on anti-immigration across the European nations since the fall of Berlin Wall.

Narendra Damodardas Modi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan @G20 Summit 2015

Getting back to the content, the structure involved the bottom up approach starting from the circumstances which these strongmen utilized for the beginning their political career to the point of reaching the level of narcissistic leader which mammoth supporters denouncing pluralism and biased cultural oppression. Political Lobbying, Religious Chauvinism, Jingoism, Semi Educated political and economic views, Victimized Scholars and freethinkers, Pride, Prejudices and Subjudices are some of the common feature of the problems discussed through the work.

Turkey part holds the major portion of the work starting from the leader founding the nation with western philosophized constitution to it’s recent failed coup against the present leader, is worth told by the author as the roots are felt essential in the later events. Though the Political history might seem complex, the author did the good part explaining precisely and briefly. Regarding Erdogan, the author did his best in showing the two-face nature of the Prime Minister cum President who has been controlling the nation since 2003. I felt the meticulous work more on this part where various aspects are discussed in relation to the Kurdish, ISIS, Greece and European Union.

Unlike Turkey, India’s part start right from a specific Party which is currently under administration, The Modi’s BJP Party. Author used unbiased words avoiding sensitive elements directly most of the time so that even if an ardent follower of these politicians could get less offended. Regarding Modi, the work covers much on the social-cultural oppression of the minorities and their interviews from accounts that happened from 90s to present; the havoc propagandized by the Political side of the person’s Party. What this part lacked is the account didn’t explain much on the economic path which also has been deflating compared with the previous administration even before the recent demonetization which is too soon to be recorded, analyzed and included by the author. The age of majoritarian politics was here to stay, and all Modi had to do was stay silent.

Overall, A Question of Order speculates over the possibilities of the persistence of a long-held belief system called Democracy. Almost 75% of the world democracies are being flawed. Burke’s discomfort with and opposition to the French Revolution is not surprising. The Revolution was an abrupt breach with the past in every conceivable manner; this angered and anguished the father of conservatism. He wrote in the Reflections on the Revolution in France,

“I should therefore suspend my congratulations on the new liberty of France, until I was informed how it had been combined with government; with public force; with the discipline and obedience of armies; with the collection of an effective and well-distributed revenue; with morality and religion; with the solidity of property; with peace and order; with civil and social manners. All these (in their way) are good things too; and, without them, liberty is not a benefit whilst it lasts, and is not likely to continue long.”

His words proved to be prophetic, as Revolution in France soon started devouring its own children; there was a reign of terror, mass slaughter (including that of a large number of innocent people), wars, destruction and devastation in entire Europe. And now, looking at our current geo-political scenario may again possibly (not probably) lead us go back to those good old days.

Events after the finalization of the book content:

1. Pro-Jallikattu Protests which has been going on for the past 10 days, officially came to a halt today revolved over the conspiracy that Modi is trying the oppress the cultural minority to possess the political administration due recent demise of the political giant in Tamilnadu, Southern State in India.

2. The move of Demonetization in the past November by Prime Minister Modi, was heavily criticized as poorly planned and unfair, and was met with resentment, protests and economic downfall.

3. The Struggle indicated in the book by Erdogan in switching the prime powers from Prime Minister to President since he switched the role in 2014, is successfully done the previous day of writing this review. It works more like USA from now on.

A Wake up call from the illusion of Democracy?

Book: A Question of Order: India, Turkey and the Return of Strongmen 

.

The author  Basharat Peer was born in the vulnerable militarized zone of Kashmir which is familiar for it’s conflict between India and Pakistan, later went on study Journalism at Columbia University.

Review posted – January 23, 2017

Publication date – March 24, 2017

I thank Netgalley, author and Columbia Global Reports, Columbia University for this great opportunity. I really hope to read other books from the series.