Joseph Dana Imagine sitting in a plane, flying high above the clouds when suddenly the passengers realise there is nobody in the cockpit. The plane is flying itself, but it is unclear where the aircraft is headed and whether it will land. This hypothetical situation, according to Polish socialist Zygmunt Bauman who died last week at the age of 91, …

Santiago Zabala We will remember 2016 not only for the return of populism throughout the West, but also for the blindness of those who could not see the difference between right-wing and leftist populism. This distinction is vital, and overlooking it further contributes to the degradation of a public discourse that is already in trouble. The rise of both kinds …

By DAVID SCOTT MATHIESON YANGON, Myanmar — Just days before the November 2015 general election, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was asked how she would remedy the long-running repression of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority, if her party came to power. She replied: “There’s a Burmese saying: You have to make big problems small and small problems disappear.” Less than …

Shaukat Qadir The news that General Raheel Sharif is tipped to take over command of the Middle East Initiative on Peace and Security (MEIPS) has given rise to considerable controversy and criticism from numerous quarters. Firstly a clarification. Raheel’s appointment is still a proposal and awaits finalisation. I believe its finalisation will depend on whether the proposal is acceptable to …

DAVOS: Just eight individuals, all men, own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population, Oxfam said on Monday in a report calling for action to curtail rewards for those at the top. As decision makers and many of the super-rich gather for this week’s World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, the charity’s report suggests …

Anjum Altaf HOW does one get a grip on the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its associated investments without any hard information except for the hype? In the absence of any mechanism for credible evaluation I suggest we hold it up against a historical parallel and see what emerges by way of tentative conclusions. Some discussion grounded in real …

Faisal Ali Ghumman LAHORE: Livestock development in Punjab has been largely stagnant over the past decade, with production increase coming from herd size expansion rather than productivity increase, a World Bank brief noted recently. The World Bank’s observation, under its upcoming fresh loan programme ‘Strengthening Markets for Agriculture and Rural Transformation in Punjab (SMART Punjab)-Programme for Results (PforR)’, notes that …

Shahmir Hamid The military has promoted grassroots democracy and stifled political activity, whereas civilians have resisted devolving authority and espoused democracy Local governments have always been an inherent part of our governance system. Before the arrival of the British in India, there had been an elementary system of ‘panchayats’ and ‘village heads’ in the rural areas that had been operating …

By Mansoor Ahmad LAHORE: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is acclaimed by all as a great economic opportunity; however, there are some pessimists, who are pointing out fault lines in the concept because the opening of this landmark trade and investment avenue would expose their inefficiencies. Local engineers, for instance complain they have been sidelined, in many infrastructure projects, in the …

Amjad Bhatti The government’s recent move to reallocate the administrative control of five key regulatory authorities form the cabinet division to the respective line ministries has stirred a constitutional debate in the Upper House, the Senate of Pakistan. Senators from treasury and opposition benches have been opposing interpretations of the decision made by the prime minister on December 19. The …