Int’l Affairs

By: Abdul Rasool Syed  An Ages-old, Smouldering Volcano  The blatant display of savagery by the assailant in the Christchurch attack that claimed precious lives of fifty peaceful Muslims engaged in worship at mosque is the latest reminder of Islamophobia that is surging exponentially in the West. Islamophobia is not a novel phenomenon; it has existed for over a long period …

Some Thoughts on Massacre of Muslim Worshippers in Christchurch “And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a …

Everyone wants a piece of Afghanistan After four decades of war and chaos, situation in Afghanistan is likely to enter a new phase –US withdrawal and a peace deal between Taliban and the United States and Afghan government. On various grounds, questions are arising about the future setup in Afghanistan with apprehensions that it might plunge into a situation where …

Meritocracy is a myth invented by the rich A major college admissions scandal in the United States has revealed the dark side of America’s hypercompetitive, brand-driven approach to higher education. It has laid bare the elaborate lengths some wealthy parents will go to get their children into competitive American universities.  In its “Operation Varsity Blues,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation …

The ills of junk economics During the recent years, there has been an astonishing rise in wealth of a few individuals, leading to income inequality globally which is no less that a crisis that deserves urgent attention. Among many reasons for urgency is the fact that the overwhelming disparity has now reached a point where it may seriously start to …

In the second half of the twentieth century, in the wake of World War II, social scientists began to tweak development models that were built and based on the economic trajectory of the West. Their hope was to use these models as guides for policymaking and forecasting. They also hoped to make economic growth and institution building seem manageable and …

BREXIT is a lesson for all of us: it’s time for renewal French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined his vision for fundamental reform of the European Union in an article published in several European newspapers. In his column, French President laid out a plan to protect democracy in Europe. It includes new border controls and higher penalties for firms that …

By: Sajjad Ikram United Nations The UN Security Council has passed nearly a dozen resolutions condemning North Korea for its nuclear pursuits. Over time, the sanctions have expanded to: 1. ban the trade of arms and military equipment, dual-use technologies, vehicles, industrial machinery and metals; 2. freeze the assets of individuals involved in the country’s nuclear programme; 3. ban the …

By: Sajjad Ikram What’s next for US-North Korea denuclearization negotiations? It is common for movie critics to say the sequel is not as good as the original. And many diplomatic critics will judge that the second installment of the Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un widescreen bromance fell short of expectations. Having failed to produce any agreement, the Hanoi summit did …

The year 2019 will see important and consequential elections. Some of those might come as a surprise. Rumours already abound that some parliamentary systems might call snap elections. But many elections are already on the calendar. Here are 5 to watch. 1. Ukrainian Presidential Election (March 31) The two leading contenders are familiar faces: incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and former …