The Rise of Populism in Asia Need to strengthen democratic institutions’ resilience M. Sheraz The populist wave that has swept the world during the recent years has shaken up global politics, sending many establishment-politicians heads spinning. Much of the focus of this surge has been in the western hemisphere, with the rise of Trump, recently Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, and most …

Everything about Indian general elections is colossal The world’s biggest democracy is going to hold what is likely to be one of the world’s costliest elections. India’s six-week-long vote will span the Himalayan range in the north, the Indian Ocean in the south, the Thar desert in the west and the mangroves of the Sundarbans in the east. This time …

Can we still prevent a nuclear arms race? On February 2, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would terminate its participation in a landmark 1987 nuclear arms-control pact with Russia, asserting the Russians have violated it for years. The decision suspends American obligations under the treaty, and terminates the accord unless Russia comes into compliance within six months. …

In today’s modern world, bilateral visits and interactions always contribute to cementing of relations between two countries. At present, Pakistan is passing through turbulent times amidst its sagging economy as well as fast-emerging regional and global developments. In this critical time, we have only a few countries that are standing firmly with us with Turkey being prominent among them. Prime …

The real work starts now On December 11, during a conference at Marrakech, Morocco, the member states of the United Nations adopted a global compact on migration entitled ‘The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’. This non-binding accord was finalized in July after 18 months of talks and discussions. A total of 150 governments were represented at the …

A new Cold War in the offing?  On October 20, President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, announced that he would withdraw his country from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Trump’s sudden decision follows a years-long US-Russian dispute about whether Moscow has developed and deployed a prohibited missile, known by its apparent Russian designation 9M729. President Trump …

As concerns over Donald Trump’s import tariffs intensify and Britain renegotiates its trading relationship with Europe, the postwar consensus towards ever-closer economic cooperation between wealthy nations is being unpicked. Why is Trade Good? Economists argue about a lot of things, yet many would probably agree on the benefits of free trade, which generates wealth by allowing the free flow of …

Preparing for English papers – Essay and Précis & Composition – of CSS examination appears to be a gigantic task for most of the aspirants as we have, over the years, seen that only a few candidates get good marks in these two papers and a vast majority of even the top position-holders secure score between 40 and 50 marks. …

Can the US plan for Middle East deliver peace? This year has been full of speculation about what Trump’s “Deal of the Century” for Israel-Palestine peace might look like. Even though Trump’s officials have given away nothing publicly, the plan’s contours are already evident. What is thus far known goes something like this. Jerusalem, which was recently shuffled, is now …

It’s Not Just Dictators Anymore It may not be surprising that power in Russia rests with Vladimir Putin or in China with Xi Jinping, the personalization of politics is alarmingly accelerating to Bangladesh, Hungary, the Philippines, Poland, Turkey and elsewhere, potentially including the United States itself.  No sane person would deny that in today’s Russia President Vladimir Putin is omnipotent. …