Unravelling the Fairy Tale
Rumpelstiltskin, a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, tells
the story of a poor miller’s daughter who was locked up each night to turn
straw into gold until the King found her worthy of becoming his bride. The only
way she achieved this was with the help of a dubious character,
Rumpelstiltskin, but this help came at a price: first for her necklace, then
her ring and then the promise of her first born child.
It is tempting to see the King as the exploitative nations,
the miller and his daughter as the exploited and enslaved, and Rumpelstiltskin
as the international agencies that offer loans forcing countries into the trap
of eternal debt servicing. The miller’s
daughter escapes from her debt to Rumpelstiltskin by identifying his hidden name.
The world, too, is finally exposing the well-guarded truths, the identities of
hidden forces, that have enslaved nations largely by controlling the
narrative.
The lofty edifices that filled the world with awe and
wonder, prove to be a mere façade, hiding a foetid world symbolized by the Epsteins,
the myth of European Enlightenment and liberalism.
The world is experiencing an emotional paralysis. Everything
we were led to believe about the leading institutions, systems, ethical values
that were entrusted to the best of the best, have fallen short of their
promises and commitments.
The pundits speculate about who will emerge to form the new dominant
world order, assuming China and Russia. But perhaps we are done with the need for a
dominant world order.
Social scientists suggest today we are living in a global
empire – interconnected, urbanized and with advanced technological systems.
However, that only describes the perspective of the dominant developed world –
about 20% of the world population. While an estimated 80% of the world has access
to the internet, it only makes them acutely aware of what they do not have.
If we cast back to a pre-western world, we discover many alternative
models. The West has dominated the world for only 300 of the 5000 years of civilisations
and empires stretching across the world from China to Mesoamerica.
Empire has always been about power but the philosophy of empire
has varied. China’s emperors subscribed to Tianxia meaning "all under
heaven," or "for all people," a world view prioritizing harmony
over conflict, and global coexistence.
Ashoka intended that “the people of the unconquered territories
beyond the borders might think: ‘What is the king’s intentions towards us?’ My
only intention is that they live without fear of me, that they may trust me and
that I may give them happiness, not sorrow.”
The Muslim empire under Hazrat Umar was focused on the
welfare of all those in his realm: "Even if a dog dies hungry on the banks
of the Euphrates, I fear that Allah will hold me accountable for it."
However, empires also waged wars, and succumbed to corruption.
Kautilya, in his guide to rulers, the Arthashastra (“The Science of Material
Gain”), prescribed policies to conquer enemies, expand territory, and manage
empire, often with war, assassinations and spying.
Civilisations, on the other hand, are not bound by the rise
and fall of empires. They reflect the ideas
and cultures of people. Civilizations share knowledge and culture naturally and
for the most part, this exchange is a peaceful process.
Trade has been the keystone of civilizational exchange. Today
trade is weaponised with tariffs and sanctions a legacy of the one way trade of
colonialisation which Dadabhai Naoroji called the “Drain Theory”. Today the USA
argues that what is in its own interest is also in the interest of the world.
Yet once the maritime trade system of the Indian Ocean was
the world’s largest trading network, from 500 AD until the rise of Western
European maritime dominance in 1800 AD. This was a self-regulating global
economy sustained by Persians, Arabs, Africans, Javanese, Jews, Indians and
Chinese without any one dominating the other. The sea was the common heritage
of humankind. The right to trade was no
one’s monopoly.
Given that today political rhetoric is a disguise for trade
interests, perhaps the world needs to work once again towards a polycentric
global order where individual nations can thrive across the world.
Durriya Kazi
April 5,
2026
Karachi
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