Int’l Affairs

An economic system based on a free market, open competition, profit motive and private ownership is called capitalism. There is ‘capitalism’ and then there is ‘really existing capitalism.’ The term ‘capitalism’ is commonly used to refer to the U.S. economic system, with substantial state intervention ranging from subsidies for creative innovation to the ‘too-big-to-fail’ government insurance policy for banks. The …

Netanyahu insulted the president, backed Romney, and hasn’t moved the peace process. Now, White House should not reward behavior like that, not even from an ally. Iran is accelerating its nuclear program, Syria’s gruesome civil war is beginning to bleed across its borders, Two years after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, Egypt’s political transition is, at best, dicey and yet according to …

Historically speaking, Pak-India bilateral relations have predictably been unpredictable. The more both countries seem to make headway the more pitfalls they have to contend with in trying to negotiate this fragile and volatile relationship. Just at a time when all was set for the third round of composite dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi, the incidents at the Line of …

The retirement of Benedict XVI on Feb 28 was the first time in nearly 600 years that a pope stepped down. This situation forced the Roman Catholic Church to begin the ancient election process known as ‘Conclave.’ For centuries, the procedure of electing a new pope was simply called a ‘papal election.’ That was, until 1274, when the word conclave …

In view of the growing weight of the East Asian countries in the world economy and their deepening economic linkages with the rest of the world, threats to peace and security in East Asia have grave implications for global economic prosperity. The growing tensions in East Asia are a matter of serious concern not only for the regional countries like …

The turmoil and crisis going on in nearly every part of the world, be it US or Europe or even Asia, signifies that leaders of substance are missing. The new world disorder has created a demand for a commodity that is not only rare but almost extinct. If we were to give a global advertisement for this scarce resource it …

The trust deficit between Pakistan and the US caused during the first term of President Obama in office needs to be repaired in his second tenure. The American presidential election has always been a victim of dichotomy; it is won and lost on the basis of a domestic agenda. But, on the contrary, the elected president’s legacy is shaped by …

The four-tier leadership of three countries discussed two crucial issues at one platform. They discussed the Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process and how to strengthen joint efforts to address extremism and advance regional peace and stability and, for the first time, they set a target of six months for a reconciliation process to succeed in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Afghanistan and the …

Though violence has dipped since June 2012, Iraqis are still a sad and fearful bunch On the last day of 2012, a year after the last American troops left Iraq, ending nearly nine years of military occupation, at least 36 Iraqis perished in a wave of bombings and shootings across the country that targeted policemen, government officials and ordinary people …

The Islamists are fast losing their popularity, but their opponents are still too weak and divided to vote them out of office In a new year’s message Muhammad Badia, the Supreme Guide of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, advised his followers to temper resilience with magnanimity. ‘Be like the tree which, when battered by stones, drops its finest fruit,’ he said. His …