Can Middle Powers Save the Liberal World Order? Turn the expressions of concern into concerted action Aftab Abbasi With major powers such as China, Russia, and now also the United States, chipping away at the foundations of the liberal international order, it falls to middle powers to sustain and reform some of its key elements. While middle powers may not single-handedly …

China’s Belt and Road of Science BRI is also about building knowledge, not just things Aftab Abbasi The ancient silk routes were not for trade only, they boosted flow of knowledge as well … Through these routes, Buddhism, Islam and Arab astronomy, calendar and medicine found their way to China, while China’s four great inventions and silkworm breeding spread to …

Capitalist Success, Not Socialist Failure Once among Latin America’s richest countries, Venezuela has been in a downward spiral for years now, with political discontent, skyrocketing inflation, power cuts and shortages of food and medicine. Since 2014, some three million Venezuelans have left the country in search of better living conditions. The situation has further deteriorated with a deep political crisis …

Peace is the Key The renewed wave of violence has brought the Kashmir issue, which had largely been eclipsed since the 9/11 attacks, back to the international radar. This has happened especially because Kashmir has become a global hotspot for major human rights violations. This is due to this fact that several international bodies are now openly calling for close …

We are witnessing the crumbling of the world order and we have grown accustomed to it. Surprisingly, it is not an ascending power that is rocking the status quo but the global leader, i.e. the United States, itself. And, if the very country that had been its main pillar is now willing to let that order collapse, the rest can …

Xi’s vision for China’s future  “History tells us that everybody has one’s future and destiny closely connected to those of the country and the nation.” — President Xi Jinping of China The rest of the world rubs its eyes in astonishment. In just under three decades, China has transformed itself from being a bitter-poor developing country into a global economic …

The gravest crimes under international law On August 27, the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which was tasked with investigating alleged human rights abuses in Myanmar, with a focus on Rakhine, announced their initial findings whereby it has been suggested that senior members of the Myanmar military, including commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, “be investigated and prosecuted” for …

Trade war between the United States and China is escalating. The US imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on US$34 billion of Chinese goods on July 6, and China retaliated with a similar tariff on US imports worth US$29.6 billion. The US may impose an additional 25 percent tariff on another US$16 billion of Chinese goods in September and perhaps …

The start of Executive Presidency and its implications On Monday, 09 July, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was sworn in as president of Turkey after securing a resounding victory in June 24 election. With his swearing-in, Turkey has officially moved from a parliamentary system to a presidential system with the president wielding powers that no democratically elected leader of Turkey has ever …

A Promising Start or mere eyewash? On May 24, the long wait for full citizenship of Pakistan for the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan finally ended after the local government formally promulgated the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018. The piece of legislation, which received presidential assent on June 01, replaces the Gilgit-Baltistan Self-Governance Order 2009. While spelling out the provisions of the Order, the …