Leaders Who Endure
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

During a Washington wedding the other evening, a seated circle of old friends had gotten into a de facto panel discussion on figures who had made a consequential impact post-1947 to date.
In Asia, the names of Jawaharlal Nehru, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Ayub Khan, Mahathir Mohamad, Chou-en Lai, Mao Tse Tung, Sukarno, Maulana Maududi, and Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy cropped up. In Africa, it was Nelson Mandela and F W de Klerk. In the Middle East, it was Imam Khomeini, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Ahmed Ben Bella. In America, it was Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. In Latin America, it was Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. In Turkey, it was Erdogan.
Then, the discussion devolved to what are the quintessential qualities of leadership. Consensus centered on empathy, humility, courage, the breadth of heart to acknowledge errors, the capacity to self-reflect and probe deeply into character in the choice and framing of team, and also eschewing “yes-men.”
Chou-en Lai was mentioned for his polished diplomatic skills. Nasser for triggering the Arab awakening by seizing the Suez Canal in July 1956. Ben Bella for spearheading the Algerian freedom struggle and then being cruelly cast off by his own for a 15-year incarceration period (1965-1980.) Erdogan for taking up cudgels on behalf of the Palestinians. Mandela for remaining dauntless despite the privations of prison, and F W de Klerk for his moment of epiphany for self-correcting and averting racial bloodshed.
Nixon was cited for his China initiative, his international statesmanship, and the fact that his misdoings pale into insignificance considering what came after him. Nehru for his writing skills, nonaligned impact, and the contrast he draws with Modi. Ayub for his stabilizing presence. Sukarno for capturing the imagination beyond Indonesia, including Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Suharwardy for his stalwart support for the Quaid in Bengal.
Interestingly, Latin America is practically in America’s backyard, yet no-one among the dinner discussants could name any figure from the two giant countries of Latin America, Argentina and Brazil, the latter, being so huge that the only two countries with which it doesn’t share a border are Chile and Ecuador. Yet, the only two people whose presence are etched in imagination emerged in the tiny nation of Cuba – Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. It was a chastening reminder that size doesn’t necessarily convey strength and grip on the popular imagination.
There was one figure mentioned who was not even political, but whose appeal extended beyond America, and crisscrossed boundaries of national origin, geographic distances, ethnic affinities, and ideological attachments. That was none other than perhaps the most known face of the 20th century, Muhammed Ali. The discussants settled that Ali’s transcendental impact was unique, unrivaled, and resonates to date. It was essentially a non-tribal appeal of remaining steadfast and speaking Haq against all odds.
The lamentation among US Muslims is that there are no role models to speak of. Man’s capacity for selective amnesia is staggering, especially when the power establishment, for its own vested purposes, abstains from acknowledging a particular personality.
Who then endures? To cite Saint Paul, those who fight the good fight.