The original sin of Israel’s birth has scarred it for life and it remains incapable of finding an identity that would meet basic democratic norms. Its neighbourhood in West Asia has had no option but to accept its truculent presence. All international law has to be rewritten, if necessary, to ensure Israel’s state of exceptional nationhood. The United States’ nuclear …

Washington vs China in the 21st Century For even the greatest of empires, geography is often destiny. You wouldn’t know it in Washington, though. America’s political, national security and foreign policy elites continue to ignore the basics of geopolitics that have shaped the fate of world empires for the past 500 years. Consequently, they have missed the significance of the …

It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion, and in just another 200 years or so it grew seven-fold. In 2011, the global population reached the 7 billion mark, and it is projected to climb to over 9 billion by 2050. This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of …

In a result that should surprise no one, the Greeks voted to reject European demands for additional austerity measures as the price for providing funds to allow Greek banks to operate. There are three reasons why this should have been no surprise. First, the ruling Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza party, is ruling because it has an understanding …

What’s next for China’s ‘world bank’? On June 29, 2015, representatives of the 57 prospective founding countries including Pakistan gathered in Beijing for a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People to mark a further step forward in the establishment of a Chinese-led rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to be known as the Asian …

The basic feature of US foreign policy during the Cold War was inclusiveness — a willingness to embrace any country that opposed Communism, whatever its type of government. The US contested the Soviet system and held the line militarily, and its consistent and comprehensive approach eventually led to the Soviet Union’s implosion. After the Cold War, came the “War on …

Fourteen years after the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the bloc has finally delivered on its earlier pledges to enlarge its membership. The SCO member states that include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have remained unchanged throughout those years, a rare thing in international organizations. However, at SCO’s Ufa Summit, two major South Asian nations, Pakistan and …

A popular Chinese saying, well received by many states utters “if you want to get rich, get started by building roads”. So, recognizing this along with the fact that regional integration is an inevitable measure to meet the demands of economically globalized world, Chinese leadership rephrased the notion of Silk Road in 2013 with the announcement of ‘One Road, One …

Over the years, thanks to the nurturing of generations of leaders and peoples from all sectors of both countries, China-Pakistan friendship has flourished like a tree growing tall and strong. No matter how the circumstances in our two countries, the region and the world change, our bilateral relations have enjoyed sound and steady growth. We have always respected, understood and …

China’s President Xi Jinping came to Pakistan bearing serious cash, pledging to invest $46 billion in Pakistan’s fragile infrastructure. Much of that money will go toward the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It’s a mix of roads, rails and pipelines that will connect Beijing’s infrastructure at Gwadar Port in Balochistan, just off the southern tip of the Persian Gulf, with Xinjiang …