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The Pros And Cons Of National Integration

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National integration, as Sklar, (1967) points out, has been added to the top of any state's agenda, especially if it is a developing one. Rosberg (1970) defines this concept as 'a broad subsuming process, whose two major dimensions are (i) political integration, which refers to the progressive bridging of the elite-mass gap on the vertical plane in the course of developing an integrated political process and a participant political community, and (2) territorial integration, which refers to the progressive reduction of cultural and regional tensions and discontinuities on the horizontal plane in the process of creating a homogeneous territorial political community.' If the state does not figure out a way to form a relatively homogeneous society …show more content…

The issue, though intriguing, is beyond the scope of this paper. Let us then, comfortably use our technical rationality and discuss instead, how. How can national integration be achieved? As pointed out earlier, Almond, et al., (2000) argue that this is a job for the state which must actively enforce the common identity. Using Fukuyama's (2004) argument, the clear solution would be to strengthen your institutions. However, the issue is not that simple; Fukuyama
(2004) argues that the optimal position for s developing country would be to strive for minimal scope and maximum strength. National Integration, arguably, is a huge task, as it is multifaceted and multidimensional. Should the state then take on such a task? It is hard to say. Still, without falling back into the argument of 'why', we can agree that if a state is to build its sense of national identity, it must focus on its institutions. According to Almond, et al., (2000) political socialization and communication are pivotal to the functioning of state institutions.
If this is the criteria, then in the history of Pakistan, nobody has done it better than Zia ul-Haq.
Under his rule, national integration was given central importance, with his version often being

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