Explain any two constraints on the American hegemony.

OR

Explain any two factors that have contributed to Pakistan’s failure in building a stable democracy.

The constraints on American hegemony are both domestic and international.

a) DOMESTIC: American society is exceptionally open, and the mass media is free of any censorship. Consequently, the news outlets and social media create an atmosphere or support or opposition to the war and misdeeds of the government on foreign land. This keeps the executive from committing excesses around the world.

b) INTERNATIONAL: US’s power is constrained by its international treaties and alliances. Most importantly, NATO functions as a buffer against American hegemony. Since the USA has massive economic stakes in European democracies, it tries to keep this alliance working. Hence, the interests of European states often soften the USA’s stance on major world issues and conflicts.

OR

Pakistan has not been able to sustain a working democracy because of the following reasons:

a) PRO-MILITARY BIAS: A large portion of Pakistani clergy and land-owning aristocracy has a pro-military bias. They believe that the constant threat of India can be only be kept at bay if a strong military leader would rule the nation and take decisive, strong steps to prevent India from interfering in Pakistani politics. They consider democracy as chaotic and selfish-minded and argue that authoritarian regimes are better for the development of the nation.

b) WESTERN INTERESTS: Various western countries, including the USA, do not believe that democracy is good for their personal reasons. They believe that a strong militant leader would prevent the nuclear arsenal of the country from falling into the hands of global Islamic terrorists.