It has been one of the most difficult tasks for almost all successive governments in Pakistan to effectively manage relations with the United States. Even though Pakistan has helped the US achieve its overriding security and economic objectives in South Asia since the 1950s, Washington has unfairly blamed Islamabad for propping up the Afghan Taliban to perpetuate the Afghan insurgency. …

Days before the May 12 deadline, President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the multilateral Iran Nuclear Deal, also referred to as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with an objective to find a different method of dealing with the so-called Iranian threat to the Middle East. The Trump administration has announced that “the highest level of economic …

United we stand, divided we fall When US President Donald Trump announced his disruptive policy decision to shift American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the divided Muslim world awoke from its deep slumber and issued its disapproval, albeit faint, of the decision. Since the creation of Organisation of Islamic Conference (now Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) in 1969, the Muslim …

How to tackle the most daunting challenge As a non-traditional security threat, climate change has continued to pose daunting challenges to Pakistan. The pressing issue of global warming jeopardizes a country’s future economic stability and security. The devastating floods of 2010 and 2011 and the extreme heatwave of 2015 have indicated that the state should brace itself for more natural …

On need to prioritise education reforms Quality education is the most powerful weapon for change, but the successive governments in Pakistan have been largely indifferent to the need to equip people with the power of effective education. Sadly, despite great importance of education in today’s globalised world, there are still around 24 million out-of-school children in the country and the …

The Indo-Japanese relationship is rapidly gathering impetus; taking shape faster than any of New Delhi’s current strategic partnerships in Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who shortly after his India visit announced snap elections in Japan, was in India to attend the 12th India-Japan Annual Summit. Both countries have agreed to establish the India-Japan Act East Forum with the intention …

Pakistan has been in want of a pragmatic and well-articulated foreign policy since 2008. What is more worrying is that the PML-N-led incumbent democratic dispensation displayed an outright reluctance to appoint a competent and astute person as a full-time foreign minister for nearly four years. Because of Pakistan’s chronic foreign policy crisis, the world is rather unwilling to appreciate the …

The discipline of international relations treats the application of diplomacy designed to attain core foreign policy objectives as an important source of national power. Since 1947, all the successive governments in Pakistan have adopted different approaches in this realm, with a view to pursue the country’s economic and security objectives. Due to the chronic leadership crisis, most of the political …

Since the contemporary international system is largely anarchic, it is not surprising to see two oppressive, ultra-right-wing governments, India and Israel, overtly embracing each other despite their gross human rights violations in Kashmir and Palestine. Narendra Modi has become the first Indian Prime Minister to pay a state visit to Israel – an oppressive state that has colonised and suppressed …

At least 150 people were killed and hundreds injured on May 31 when an explosives-laden truck ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic quarters. The grisly attack took place in Zanbaq Square in Kabul’s 10th district, close to government offices and foreign embassies. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any terrorist group. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban, said that …