The leadership deficit - I

The entire world suffers from a leadership deficit. All other deficits spring from this pivotal deficit - fiscal deficit, trade deficit, food deficit, ecological deficit, human degradation deficit, etc. etc. Today this small planet (the Earth) accommodates 6.43 billion people; the number will rise to approximately 9-10 billion by 2050. Any major malfunction created by this leadership deficit can result in a major worldwide catastrophe. Regional problems already exist - Afghanistan, Venezuela, Columbia, Kashmir, Kurdistan, Congo, Palestine. But regional cooperation and international multilateralism have kept them contained. But we live on the razor's edge. The world is rapidly regressing into xenophobia. Donald Trump has upended multilateralism that was the mainstay since WWII. Hungary, Poland, Brexit etc. Where will it all end? Strong, firm and resolute leadership is required to face the challenges that exist.
Today, there are approximately 30 million people in leadership positions in the world - in politics (international, national and local), Academia, Medicine, Technology, Ecology, Agriculture, Science, Human behavior, Military etc. If they do not demonstrate true leadership, or abdicate, the world will not live out this century. In 1910, Argentina was the 2nd biggest economy of the world after the US. Today it is a serial defaulter. The Populist Peronist Party started the rot. At about the same time in history, 1910, the Venezuelan currency 'Bolivar' was the strongest currency in the world. It was backed by the world's largest oil+gas reserves. Many countries, including the US, keep some surplus reserves in this currency. Today, Venezuela has been reduced to a Third World status. Both countries suffered from repeated leadership crises.
What creates a leader? Are leaders born or bred? This debate has gone on for millenia. In 700 BC, scholars in India and China were already debating these issues. Sun Tzu's classic "The Art of War" is essentially about leadership. The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia produced leaders like Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar II, Cyrus the Great. The city of Babylon was the cultural capital of the world. The Pharaohs of Egypt, notably Ramses II, left a leadership impact on the world. Closer to home, Confucius, Ashoka and Chandragupta made huge contributions to civilization. In the Mediterranean region the transformative leaders of Greece, Carthage and Rome left an everlasting impact on human civilization - Socrates, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius & Augustus Caesar. All these were visionaries and leaders. In AD 570, God sent to Earth the greatest transformative leader in history, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He, initially alone, then with a small band of followers, changed the world. Even today, although, there are many more Christians in the world than Muslims, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is regarded the most influential figure in history.
To be continued tomorrow
(The writer is the Former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan)