04-12-2004, 03:20 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Why do we need this âForce of Historyâ to explain something that can be explained by understanding a realistic foreign policy pursued by US/UK/China etc. wrt TSP<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Welcome to IF .Pulikeshi. We trust you will find the environment at IF interesting and stimulating. In fact i do visit BR, perhaps not as often as before, to read penetrating insights by posters such as you.
The question you pose is a fair one. Historians have proposed the notion of 'force of History' to explain certain recurring events in the past. Such a viewpoint , is I suspect more current among those who have a more acute sense of history then we (as Indians) have been credited with. One example of the 'force of history' is the migrationof peoples from one region and country to another (regionand country). It is a recurring theme in the history of many nations. It is rare to find a nation on this planet from (or to )which there has been no migration. There are other examples of 'force of History'. When one bestows a 'force of history' categorization to certain events in History , it still does not explain why such an event happened., merely that such an event is a recurring event and has the 'force of History' behind it. The repeated invasion and colonization of india is perceived by many to be the result of a 'force of history. That there were structural reasons for such invasions still does not invalidate the use of the term 'force of history to characterize such invasions.
In the case of the Islamization of the subcontinent, the contention is not that China is abetting such a turn of events. Suffice it to say that a good percentage of the Ummah believes that islamization of the rest of the world is a inevitability. China merely finds it convenient to be on the side of 'force of History' and position herself as a protagonist of such events. China considers herself reasonably removed from the disturbances caused by Jihadi islamization to consider it a lesser evil than the preachy unctuousness of the Yindoo, However, irrational i may find this to be, I do not find it to be contrary to a realist perspective, given the assumptions that China makes about india's ambitions.
It is another matter that one can possibly explain away world events such as the colonization of India, without resort to artificial constructs such as Force of History.
Personally i do not find it absolutely essential to invoke the expression 'force of History' to explain away the incidence of recurring events in History. I merely draw attention to the incidence of such notions in the literature.
Further , the acceptance of the notion of a force of history does not condemn India to a passive role, of accepting her destiny however unpalatable it may be. On the contrary, it is up to the indian to create his/her own 'force of history'. India has been singularly adept at spreading her philosophical vision (values, knowledge, script, darshanas) without the use of coercive force. Theere is no reason to believe we have lost the 'touch' to do it again. A pre-requisite is that India must once again think and act like a confident nation and not be hesitant to promote her values. IOW, India is quite capable of giving as good as she gets.
The study of the causes as to why nations behave the way do is still in its infancy in India and it would behoove us as Indians to pay attention to such matters, because whether we do so or not , it is a certainty others will.
Once again a hearty welcome.
Welcome to IF .Pulikeshi. We trust you will find the environment at IF interesting and stimulating. In fact i do visit BR, perhaps not as often as before, to read penetrating insights by posters such as you.
The question you pose is a fair one. Historians have proposed the notion of 'force of History' to explain certain recurring events in the past. Such a viewpoint , is I suspect more current among those who have a more acute sense of history then we (as Indians) have been credited with. One example of the 'force of history' is the migrationof peoples from one region and country to another (regionand country). It is a recurring theme in the history of many nations. It is rare to find a nation on this planet from (or to )which there has been no migration. There are other examples of 'force of History'. When one bestows a 'force of history' categorization to certain events in History , it still does not explain why such an event happened., merely that such an event is a recurring event and has the 'force of History' behind it. The repeated invasion and colonization of india is perceived by many to be the result of a 'force of history. That there were structural reasons for such invasions still does not invalidate the use of the term 'force of history to characterize such invasions.
In the case of the Islamization of the subcontinent, the contention is not that China is abetting such a turn of events. Suffice it to say that a good percentage of the Ummah believes that islamization of the rest of the world is a inevitability. China merely finds it convenient to be on the side of 'force of History' and position herself as a protagonist of such events. China considers herself reasonably removed from the disturbances caused by Jihadi islamization to consider it a lesser evil than the preachy unctuousness of the Yindoo, However, irrational i may find this to be, I do not find it to be contrary to a realist perspective, given the assumptions that China makes about india's ambitions.
It is another matter that one can possibly explain away world events such as the colonization of India, without resort to artificial constructs such as Force of History.
Personally i do not find it absolutely essential to invoke the expression 'force of History' to explain away the incidence of recurring events in History. I merely draw attention to the incidence of such notions in the literature.
Further , the acceptance of the notion of a force of history does not condemn India to a passive role, of accepting her destiny however unpalatable it may be. On the contrary, it is up to the indian to create his/her own 'force of history'. India has been singularly adept at spreading her philosophical vision (values, knowledge, script, darshanas) without the use of coercive force. Theere is no reason to believe we have lost the 'touch' to do it again. A pre-requisite is that India must once again think and act like a confident nation and not be hesitant to promote her values. IOW, India is quite capable of giving as good as she gets.
The study of the causes as to why nations behave the way do is still in its infancy in India and it would behoove us as Indians to pay attention to such matters, because whether we do so or not , it is a certainty others will.
Once again a hearty welcome.