Though imperialism is now held in disrepute, empire has been the default means of governance for most of recorded history, and the collapse of empires has always been messy business, whether in China and India from antiquity through the early 20th century or in Europe following World War I. The meltdown we see in the Arab world today, with chaos …

A Zone of Strategic Competition  “Already the world’s preeminent energy and trade interstate seaway, the Indian Ocean will matter even more in the future. One reason is that India and China, major trading partners locked in an uncomfortable embrace, are entering into a dynamic great-power rivalry in these waters.” Robert D. Kaplan Indian Ocean region, which according to Robert D. …

Global wealth is increasingly being concentrated in the hands of a small wealthy elite. These wealthy individuals have generated and sustained their vast riches through their interests and activities in a few important economic sectors, including finance and pharmaceuticals/healthcare. Companies from these sectors spend millions of dollars every year on lobbying to create a policy environment that protects and enhances …

The global community has failed dismally in meeting the challenge of providing all children with a quality education. This failure is tragically apparent in Pakistan, world’s sixth most populous country. With one of the lowest education budgets in the world, development of education sector in Pakistan faces serious impediments. Pakistan needs to break out of it’s complacency with poor education …

Now how do you top this as a geopolitical entrance? Eight JF-17 Thunder fighter jets escorting Chinese President Xi Jinping on board an Air China Boeing as he entered Pakistani air space. And these JF-17s were built as a China-Pakistan joint project. Silk Road? Better yet; silk skyway. Just to drive the point home — and into everyone’s home — …

For months, members of the Arab League have been calling for a joint military force to quell the violence that had engulfed the Middle East. Crisis after crisis, it seems that the entire region is smouldering. Actions and inactions of many Middle Eastern leaders have resulted in an omnipresent political instability, economic turmoil and division and violence. Moreover, atrocities of …

 Since the end of the Cold War, the international system has been fluctuating. While the bipolar system has ended, no equivalent is in place yet. In the early days of the post-Cold War era, some talked about the uni-polar moment as the United States dominated the world with its unrivalled economic and military power. During the ensuing debate, predictions between …

The euro crisis is over. The Greek tragedy continues in the background, and a Greek exit from the euro could deal a mortal blow to the single currency project. But a “Grexit” is not a likely or realistic scenario. No one (except the British press, always keen to report the failure of the euro) doubts the future of the euro …

The growing numbers of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing turmoil in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East poses complex challenges for European policymakers. Dozens of would-be migrants are reported to have drowned between Libya and Sicily, the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean this spring. In the first five months of this year, 32,087 people have survived the crossing and arrived …

The future relationship between China and the United States is one of the mega-changes and mega-challenges of our age. China’s rise is the geopolitical equivalent of the melting polar ice caps: gradual change on a massive scale that can suddenly lead to dramatic turns of events. Can this defining trend of the 21st century be managed peacefully? There is a …