A scholar and Director of the Paris-based Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), Pascal Boniface Thursday said that the world order has changed from uni-polar and moving towards multi-polarisation, which is the only option to live better and more secure on the planet.
In an interaction with a group of journalists, organised by French Embassy, the French researcher said that the incident of 9/11 could not produce a new world order, adding the concept of bipolar world is over but had not been replaced by a new one. He pointed out that al Qaeda existed before 9/11 and the issue of terrorism was also there, the incident did not brought any significant change to the world order. According to him multilateralism is the only option if we want to live in a better and more secure planet, adding at present, the world is neither unipolar nor multi-polar, but on its way toward multi-polarisation.
Besides the end of bipolarity, which has lasted four decades, he also referred to another strategic change, which he called the most important that the west has lost the monopoly of power it has enjoyed for almost five centuries. "We are living in a global village, but we have difficulties to produce common rules. We could even ask if the concept of international community is not a myth. This could explain why there are still so many wars and international crisis 26 years after the fall of Berlin wall," he added.
To a question, he disagreed with the notion of Islamophobia in certain western countries, saying as far as France is concerned Muslims are an important part of the population like other religious groups living in Pakistan. He said that none of the European states were anti-Islam and their political leadership is elected not on religious beliefs.
About Syrian crisis, he said everybody is seeking a solution which is unfortunately not reachable, adding a quick diplomatic solution is the only option as nobody is ready to send their troops in Syria because of the Iraq's experience. He stressed that a diplomatic solution was necessary because the people of Syria have suffered a lot and President Bashar al-Asad is not willing to quit.
He also backed the idea of expansion of United Nations Security Council, saying that the world order has already been changed and it needs more members to become members of the key world body. When asked whether India qualifies to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council given the fact of its involvement in persecution of minorities, human rights violations and reluctance to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir dispute, he did not come with a clear response, adding issue of improved human rights situation and respect for minorities have never been a mandatory factor to become a permanent member of the council.
Pascal Boniface is visiting Pakistan from 15th to 18th of September, 2015 under the framework of the "Open Doors" programme jointly led by the Embassy of France and the Alliances françaises of Lahore and Karachi. Boniface delivered several lectures in Karachi and Islamabad during his stay in the country.