Research and teaching flaws in International Relations in Pakistani universities

International Relations as a subject is an offspring of Political Science. It was introduced in universities in late 1960s and early 1970s, except Karachi where it took the lead. It has come a long way since yet teaching and research remain outmoded and has turned it into a subject commonly called Current Affairs. It has, therefore, unable to link with Global IR nor meaningfully contribute to any theoretical advances. These problems are keeping it behind in both teaching and research. Some of these are:
Cross-Disciplinary Research Stress is traceable in contemporary discourses on Global IR, which remains an under explored option at best and a lost opportunity at worst. Though the majority of IR (especially at the post-graduate level) possess basic background knowledge of multiple academic streams of political philosophy, administrative theory, political economy, political thought, political theory, etc., they hardly undertake trans-disciplinary approach in conducting advanced research in IR.
Because of prevalent learning practices in our universities which are reliant upon compartmentalised teaching and silos-type disciplines, which like billiard balls are hard and difficult to penetrate.
Disincentives Galore Teaching of IR theory is being replaced by policy and advocacy studies. Besides theory, teaching and research is unattractive as a field in the job market. Natural sciences are encroaching into various disciplines and creating new paradigms. The same needs to be done in IR as its isolationist tendency or inability to build bridges prevents innovation and generating new theories. Moreover, the present churn and tumult in international politics precludes many researchers from researching in this murky and changing field.
Directed Research Though Global IR makes a call for redefining existing IR theories and methods the research in IR generally remains subsidiary to conventional umbrella-research-projects pursued by established professors/supervisors. In other words, the choice of a research topic is often influenced by the interest or expertise of established teachers/supervisors. Either supervision is not available or the supervisor wants to steer students into own home ground with the result that the students are left with little choice but to follow his real interests.
Besides, the pressures to enter the job market force them to finish their thesis soon with the blessings of the supervisor. As such, a student's proposed research topic readily wins approval if it is compatible with the area of expertise of his/her teachers/supervisors. If it happens to be an innovative topic and out of comfort zones of established teachers/supervisors) it either faces outright rejection or goes through over-modification.
As a result, the possibility of major groundbreaking research systematically gets nipped in the bud. Added to these are typical reasons of lack of books, funding, field trips and qualified supervisors and mentorship. Students pressed for resources and jobs want to either drag it out living in hostel accommodations while working part time or lose interest or want to get over with their theses without attaining quality. No wonder attrition rate is high in PhD level in Western universities in view of shrinking job market.
Not surprisingly, plagiarism has become endemic in our educational system; shortcuts, heavy lifting of material, 'cut-and-paste' tendencies have become rife not only amongst students but senior staff. Supervisors too compromise standard with many theses under their belt for winning recognition, jazzing up their CVs and prospects of remuneration. The topics are mostly not new or current or of applicative value to society: instead worn-out and well-trodden themes are chosen and recycled.
For example, in the last decade this scribe had to be external examiner of over 50 theses in many universities at MS and M. Phil level. Since the last decade of terrorism related themes was the buzz word some substantive contribute in theory remained. The selection was easy available material, recycling other ideas and sort of herd mentality. And lack of guidance by supervisors in steering them into new topics and areas of research while keeping the job market requirements.
Likewise during the 1990s, when Central Asia opened up there was a spate of theses on the subject; the interest petered out when problems of Central Asia travel, language and research came forward. When nuclear weapons got introduced in late 1990s again for a decade nuclear politics dominated the scene. Now when CPEC is ongoing everything pivots around that theme. This is because of lack of ready availability of material and breaking new ground. After all, there are many other topics related to China and the region that need social science IR investigation.
Gate-keeping The practice of 'publish or perish' has been prescribed as a necessary pre-condition for linking IR with Global IR; the editorial teams in journals and publishing houses act as 'gatekeepers' for filtering only those manuscripts for publication which conform to their ideological/political positions. Hence published material is unreasonably delayed and superior quality not published by some reputed journals and publishing houses despite being recommended by peer reviewers. If specialised knowledge offered by those manuscripts is limited and relevant for a small size of readers and likely to deliver only marginal profit it is ignored.
Collaborative Work In IR, unlike natural sciences, there is a poor tradition of co-authorship or joint work. What is the reason for this solo performance? Perhaps ideological non-conformity, hesitancy and distrust in working together, self-disciplining, lack of enough rewards in synergy and professional insecurities come in between. Moreover, editing issues in research papers remains a serious issues. Either professional editing is unavailable or unaffordable or writers unsure of their performance and are shy of being corrected - hardly realizing that joint work is a 'gain-gain' proposition not only in academia but in every walk of life.
Commercialization The commercialization bug has also infected the world of scholarship and academia where many newly-found second-rate journals and publishing houses offer a paid outlet for printing sub-standard manuscripts. Rat race to publish has compromised standards becoming a mark of degeneration rather than upgrading.
Some universities, including NUML are revising rules to ensure greater transparency and quality of output based on indicators of performance rather than general reports. Favoritism and regard for non-merit has afflicted academia everywhere. Some senior university professors and Vice Chancellors are demoted or removed on the charge of plagiarism, which used to go undetected before. On the positive side, now universities are getting conscious of this problem and now taken seriously by HEC which is good step. IT courses teach how to avoid plagiarism lack of research techniques, compromising by teachers and availability of internet.
Improved Networking The importance of networking between IR scholars at inter-university level and around the world has been rightly underscored by HEC. However, IR witnesses an increased practice of 'dependent networking' wherein a learner's/teacher's membership of research networks is dependent upon personal affiliations/ anticipations/obligations rather than shared professional research interests. It is motivated by a desire to attain 'greater visibility' rather than 'greater research intensity.' The dictum of 'publish or perish' to secure promotion, visibility and churn out sub-par stuff is non-conducive to genuine academic inquiry and advancement of IR.
Merit-based inductions, despite stress on transparency and merit recruitment of teachers is followed more in the breach. Against the backdrop of demographic explosion, universities are under pressure to recruit greater numbers. Politicized recruitments occur causing disservice to the teaching-learning process.
Avoiding Replicative Research Another bane of IR is where skeleton think tanks are raised without proper capacity, staff and basic research infrastructure. Even in research work replication is often done. Guarding institutional turfs these entities are reluctant to cooperate and hence produce run-of-the-mill themes. There was a proposal some years ago to bring all research institutes under one roof while retaining their autonomy as in China. The aim was to research areas and issues in collaborative work acquiring synergy and avoiding working in silos or water tight compartments. This however did not work as the tradition of institutionalised cooperation is lacking and departments are over-protective in guarding their individual turfs.
The above litany of complaints is not exclusive to social sciences and IR but nearly all academic world. The fact is that overall intellectual contribution of Pakistan IR to Global IR is not proportionate to the visible growth of institutional and thematic grounds. In fact, the crucial institutional and thematic headway remains circumscribed by lack of concern for inappropriate strategy of teaching IR. Notwithstanding the creative involvement of few extraordinary scholars the hierarchical teacher-learner relationship in pedagogy by and large has emerged as the direct or indirect source of ills. In these circumstances, a greater willingness to embrace the andragogic strategy of teaching - wherein the teaching methodologies aid a non-hierarchical teacher-learner relationship creates a room for unprejudiced and unhindered choice. This is in expression, exploration, exchange, expansion, and publication of unconventional ideas. It can probably open up fresh pathways for attaining the goal of an enriched contribution to Pakistani IR to Global IR.
Added to the above is the perennial language issue, declining study culture and easy access to internet which (besides its many positives) has negatives of making shortcuts, sub-par research material and acts of plagiarism. While plentiful information overload analysis, processing and insight are missing.
The above plaints not only pertain to Pakistani context but could be applied to many developing countries and other disciplines, too. One could add here that poor standards notwithstanding some of the best seminal work in IR and other disciplines have been done by Pakistani academics mostly in the West due to academic independence, better research infrastructure, monetary and psychic rewards.
Teaching and research in IR improvement will correspondingly enhance while upgrading language and writing skills, greater access to reliable sources, better incentives, revamping universities, establishing specialised think tanks and centers, emphasis on joint research and use of research methodologies. Easier said than done, this requires well-trained staff, good mentoring and academic counselling, besides quality induction and retention of qualified and dedicated teachers.
The old adage that if one has nothing else to do in life then go for teaching is has to be revisited. Hopefully if and when Pakistan's development profile rises with economic and social take off, the social sciences may also get an added boost. As the sea of economy shall rise so would all boats of business, industry, agriculture, and level of society, universities with natural and social disciplines including IR.
Needless to say that education is a long-term investment which has been woefully neglected. Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and China, as developing societies, have realised this much earlier in their national life and have done well in promoting education and creating a knowledge and skill-based society. It is worthy of emulation by other developing countries, including Pakistan.
Notwithstanding, to conclude on a somewhat positive note, the step motherly treatment of social sciences and humanities is slowly but surely being overcome. Due to complexity and inter-connectedness technologies, journalism and some think tanks and NGOs better writings on IR related themes are emerging. Some NGOs are doing well. Think tanks of varied standards are operative though they could be brought under one umbrella and research themes co-ordinated through institutional reforms. Seminars, interaction with foreign office, defense institutes, foreign universities would progressively raise the status and appeal of IR as a discipline like in the West.
Comparisons are invidious but they perforce have to be made for introspection and course corrections: in the general Islamic World where repressive regimes have ruled Pakistan fares relatively better. This is not to say that Pakistan is without its problems: media openness (barring its negative effects), linkage with Anglo-phone and western world has given it some advantages - though it could be much better.
Still, many students aspire to make it to CSS exams through IR, which has significant component of IR-related questions. On the quality and contribution of IR and social sciences in the foreign service the latter well versed in international relations have produced some capable foreign ministers since independence who have raised international standing of Pakistan: Among others, most widely mentioned names are of Sir M. Zafarulla Khan, Quaid-i-Azam's nominee as the first Foreign Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Agha Shahi and Lieutenant General Sahibzada Yaqub Khan (retd) - all equipped with oratorical skills, diplomatic finesse and profound scholastic ability. One hopes that our universities will produce the same type of foreign policy practitioners and scholars to make the country proud.
(The writer is former Adviser, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology and President Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Islamabad)