The article highlights protests which have broken out all over Pakistan, two of which have ended in multiple deaths. The first was a protest that escalated with protesters setting fire to a UN building with the ensuing violence ending with 14 dead. The second major violent protest began with protesters storming a US consulate ending with 10 deaths. Other Pakistan based US consulates have been reinforced with Pakistani military to protect from continued anti-war protesting. Iran’s Shi’ite community has made calls for more protests despite new curfew and anti-gathering orders.
These attacks on diplomatic buildings but more specifically the US diplomatic buildings could lead to the US pulling diplomats from not only Pakistan but also surrounding countries. This could diminish relations with affected countries as the means of diplomacy dissipate. The local Islamic communities will likely continue to protest as the war goes on and could escalate further than ignoring direct orders as they saw Iran’s recently killed leader as a spiritual leader.
The three most prominent stakeholders in the article are the US government, the Pakistani government and the Shi’ite community. The US government will either pull diplomats till they deem it to be safe (likely after the war has concluded) or deploy troops at not only consulates but also US bases. The Pakistani government is a Major Non-Nato Ally so it will likely continue to suppress protests and protect US buildings within the country. The Pakistani Shi’ite community, the second largest in the world besides Iran, will likely escalate further and as there has already been heavy violence it may even escalate to terrorism.
This article connects to the class through Legitimacy and the difficulties of governing a multi-nation state. As the Shi’ite and other muslim groups protest the war with violence while ignoring government mandates, this shows that Pakistan’s government is not considered legitimate throughout the country. This also reflects the difficulties of governing a Multi-Nation State as certain groups, such as the Shi’ite, hold more allegiance to foreign powers.