Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
A 'Dictators v Democrats' program https://tamullis.substack.com/
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Democracy is at war. We can see the forces rallied against it: autocratic states like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, techno-aristocrats, religious fundamentalists and populist demagogues.
From the trenches of Ukraine to the halls of power in the US, democratic, free values are under determined assault.
But, there are those who resist.
In 'Why We Fight' we talk to those who claim to be defending democracy; that's everyone from soldiers, protestors, activists, religious leaders, industrialists and politicians.
We find out who they are, what drove them to take up the struggle, what their work is and why their idea of democracy is worth fighting for.
Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
The Pakistani Dissident Soldier: Adil Raja
In this episode of Why We Fight, I speak with Adil Raja, a former major in the Pakistani military who became one of its fiercest critics.
Now living in exile in the UK, Raja pulls back the curtain on how Pakistan’s military has dominated the country’s politics, enabled extremism, and violently suppressed dissent both at home and abroad.
We explore:
· His transformation from decorated officer to dissident journalist
· His firsthand account of how the military manipulates elections, courts, and media
· How the generals built and deployed jihadist militias as tools of foreign policy
· Why transnational repression is one of the biggest threats to democracy today
· The brutal retaliation he and his family faced for speaking out
· His ongoing legal battle in the UK against a SLAPP lawsuit filed by a top Pakistani general
· What democracies must do to play the geostrategic game while staying as true to their values as possible
This is a detailed account about how the Pakistani military’s ‘Deep State’ controls every aspect of life in the nuclear-armed country.
Links to Mr. Raja’s work can be found here:
https://soldierspeaks.org/
and his Patreon can be found here:
https://www.patreon.com/SoldierSpeaks
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
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Thankyou and remember:
Democracy is Non-Negotiable