Int’l Affairs

The situation in many debt-ridden countries worsened with a major political upheaval and the resultant change in eight out of 17 countries hit by the crisis. The crisis led to power shifts in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Netherlands. A number of countries in Europe face serious financial crisis that has made it impossible for them …

‘Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq could form an economic bloc and become a role-model not only for the Muslim World but also for the global community.’ The Islamabad Declaration emphasised the resolve of the 8-D member-countries to promote peace, tolerance and democratic stability. The Declaration identified the role of private sector concerning the economic growth and increasing the intra-D8 trade …

Despite being geographically contiguous, Pakistan and Russia have remained politically distant from each other during the last six decades. The framework of Cold War and the East-West confrontation defined relations between the two countries during that very period. This assessment of relations between Pakistan and Russia looks at the influence of South Asia and Central Asia’s bilateral relations in a …

What the Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street movement have in common Is Zuccotti Park the next Tahrir Square? For weeks, people have been asking me if the protests taking place in lower Manhattan and around the U.S. were similar to those I covered in Egypt during the Arab Spring. After a visit to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, …

The result of the recent elections according to my observation will yield no effect on the economy of India and its relations with the US at all. The history witnessed that both the Republicans and the Democrats were agreed to acknowledge the importance of India in the world. It was Clinton, a Democrat who reopened the talks with India after …

In foreign policy, Obama has an equally challenging agenda on which he cannot afford to remain complacent. By now, he knows wars do not bring peace. Hopefully, he will resist any attempts to open new fronts and instead will look for peaceful arrangements through diplomacy and dialogue, not by force or coercion. He is likely to pursue a deal with …

Academicians and scholars the world over have attempted to analyse different dimensions of terrorism. Despite tomes being written about terrorism, a commonly-accepted definition of the phenomenon eludes both academic and policy circles. Terrorism has become a significant feature of the contemporary world order, particularly in the wake of the incident of 9/11 and the subsequent war against terrorism. Academicians and …

This part of Asia is certainly in transition, but any assumptions of the SCO emerging as a regional security bloc at this stage would be too far-fetched. One must be realistic. Our chaotic world is not ready yet for any dramatic changes on the global geo-political scene. Both China and Russia may have concerns over Washington’s predominant role on global …

There were certain key policy interests that brought change in the US stance towards Russia under Obama Administration. Russian policies towards Central and West Asia do not bode well for the greater interests of the US in these regions. Additionally, the geopolitical influence that Russia is gradually and swiftly achieving in these regions poses a formidable challenge to the US …

During his inaugural address, Supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made it clear that his country was pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful purpose. He alleged the United Nations Security Council of exerting ‘overt dictatorship’ on Iran at the behest of the US, UK, and France. Another high point of Summit was President Zardari’s meeting with Ahmadinejad in which both leaders …