Hi readers!
You must have heard the word proxy which refers to a person who is authorized to act for another, or it may designate the function or authority of serving in another’s instead.
Humans are classical examples of proxies of Allah Almighty as:
The concept of humans as Allah’s Khalifa on Earth is found in several Surah. For example, in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:30), Allah tells the angels, He will place a Khalifa on Earth (referring to Adam), and in Surah Al-A’raf (7:26), Allah addresses the humanity (Bani Adam) as caretakers and trustees, and in Surah Sad (38:26), prophet David (Dawud) is called a Khalifa, and in Surah Al-An ‘am (6:165), Allah mention humanity as inheritors. So, the world today is running by Allah’s proxies.
When Winston Churchill said “Nature will not be admired by proxy”, He actually means that, “you can’t truly appreciate or understand the profound beauty, power, and complexity of the natural world by just hearing about it, seeing pictures, or relying on someone else’s description; you must experience it directly and personally to grasp its essence, thereby emphasizing direct experience over secondhand accounts” (Allah almighty also says, “read Quran, understand it and act accordingly and don’t rely on hearsay: the secondhand accounts”).
Dear readers! these secondhand accounts are solely responsible for the irredeemable/incorrigible mess that has been created in the world.
In computer sciences, a proxy server acts as an intermediary between device and the internet and is used for enhancing security, improving privacy, controlling web access, and boosting performance by routing traffic through its own IP address to hide yours, and bypass geo-restrictions for various personal and business needs.
Precisely in the identical way, proxies are used in politics where it refers to two distinct concepts:
- proxy voting/representation and
- proxy warfare/actors.
Each of the two plays a significant and different role in political systems and international relations.
- Proxy voting and representation
In this facet, an individual (the political party leader) delegates his power or authority (through awarding party ticket) to another person to act on his/her behalf. In simple words he means vote (where and whenever it is needed) only according my whim & wishes and not according your conscious).
Let’s take the example of Pakistan but before this, pl. recall my blog
(Democracy and Pakistan: what comes first?)
https://shafwrites.com/democracy-and-pakistan-what-comes-first/)
to refresh your concept of democracy which originated in Ancient Athens, which is considered its birthplace. It is the best documented model that comes out of a direct participatory democratic system where people (electorate) directly decides on policy initiatives without their representative as proxies as is practiced in United States through presidential elections which is somewhat similar to the Athenian model.
Pakistan is a peripheral country where people in governess system don’t know what a policy is? how to debate on it? and who will listen to that debate because nobody understand its language, significance, the scenario around the country and the globe, accept having their own individualistic agendas.
The question is why such things happens?
The answer is that majority of the members of the cabinet are the product of indirect democracy that relies on representatives (proxies) elected by citizens to make decisions for them which are made even when members of a legislative body or organization are not physically present, yet the quorum and legislative continuity is assured.
Proxy appointments can also be used to form a voting bloc, allowing a group to exercise greater influence in deliberations or negotiations compared to what they individually can’t exercise. You must have witnessed all this happening in our National assembly every other day.
- Proxy Warfare and Non-State Actors
In international politics, proxy refers to a third party, a state or non-state actor (like we are facing today as proxies refuging in our neighboring country’s protection) who are directed or supported by their harboring countries to influence a conflict without large-scale military involvement.
Major powers use proxies to pursue strategic interests and to compete for influence while minimizing the risk of a direct conflict or avoiding a potentially catastrophic confrontation (like we are witnessing currently in the Middle East).
Proxies are also used to reduce financial burden and risk/danger because informally contracting a proxy is a cheaper option politically, financially, and in terms of loss of human lives compared to deploying military force.
The biggest advantage of proxies is that their sponsoring or refuging countries can conveniently deny their involvement in the instability they create in their target countries (we are the worst example of this not so plausible deniability). Despite the fact that the whole world has witnessed the proofs of the neighboring countries involvement through proxies in suicide bombing attacks, the shamelessness and the ease with which the denials of their involvement are presented to avoid international condemnation or legal responsibility for the proxy’s actions is limitless.
The most commonly known proxies are Non-State Actors (NSAs)
NSAs are individuals or organizations that waived around them, significant political, economic, and/or social influence globally but they are not entities of a formal government bodies, such as NGOs, multinational corporations, Inter-government organization (IGOs), armed groups (terrorists), mover of social movements, and even powerful individuals (I personally know several of such people in our country).
These entities comprised different charismatic leaders, grassroots activists mobilizing people and resources (money, skills, time, networks), ideological innovators proposing new visions, political actors working within the systems, and ordinary citizens (who are not so ordinary as they are always in jobs), movers and shakers of every gathering, roaming around the world, influence opinion and propagating the ideas fed to them by their sponsors.
They operate across local to global scales, affecting international relations and governance especially as globalization distort the lines between state and non-state powers such a proxies, insurgent groups, militants, terrorist organizations, and private military companies (PMCs): all act as proxies, receiving funding, weapons, trainings, and intelligence from external sponsors.
They act like slow poison and by the time they achieve their agenda, irreparable damage occurred to the country and the people simply by the desire of one person for a change using strategies like protest, media, lobbying, or resource mobilization to challenge or implement societal shifts which is conveniently denied as and when necessity arise simply by saying “everything is done in good faith”.
Non-state actors usually use such influential people as their local proxies for their political agendas like gaining local legitimacy and consolidating power however, all this is not without consequences and risks: the biggest one is when a proxy pursue goals different than those assigned by the sponsors and become difficult to control or the sponsors don’t allow victim country to control them because of their blackmailing capacity particularly when the victim country happens to be under heavy debut like our beloved country “The Pakistan”. Why do you think we are still unable to fully control the manace of terrorism despite facing heavy losses of precious lives and financial burden beyond our capacity?
Did you understand dear readers, who are proxies (an indirect instrument) through which political interests can be advanced, conflicts waged, and governance disrupt: each facet with its own advantages, disadvantages and inherent risks.
Look around dear readers and try to observe what is described here because unless you experience it directly and personally you can’t truly appreciate or understand the profound beauty, power, and complexity of the natural world only by relying on secondhand accounts.
See you again,
Take care,
Bye
