April 2015

Today’s world is increasingly becoming dominated by private special interests and multinational corporations who usurp political systems around the world, creating vast wealth inequality and largely rendering democratic political systems futile. As the profits, power and influence of corporations explode in the 21st century, the gap between the rich and the poor spikes in tandem, creating what many believe is …

How Would It Impact South Asia? A lot of concerns have been raised about the future of the South Asian region after the start of US withdrawal from the war-torn Afghanistan. The apprehensions are being expressed especially because the United States has a track record of creating troubles in many regions of the world and then abandoning those without ensuring …

After 16 hours of negotiations in the Belarusian capital, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany ironed out a shaky short-term solution to the Ukraine crisis named: The Minsk II Agreement. The agreement was announced at three separate news conferences, suggesting the deal’s durability and longevity may be in doubt. The Agreement also did not lead to an immediate …

For far too long, the Iranian-backed Houthi movement was left to meddle in Yemen. While one realizes that war should always be used as a last resort and that every effort to use political and peaceful means should be exhausted, the reality is that time after time, Iran and its agents have continued to prove that they cannot be trusted …

Since its ratification in 1970, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has become one of the main pillars of the nuclear nonproliferation mechanisms. From 27 April to 22 May 2015, state parties to the NPT gather in a Review Conference (RevCon) to ensure that both the NPT provisions and the major nuclear proliferation challenges are being properly addressed. The ninth Review …

Back in 2008, at the height of the Global Financial Crisis, there was an intense debate within the international community on the core question of the best institutional response to the unfolding collapse of the global economy. In the six months between the collapse of Bear Stern to the collapse of Lehman’s in September, the question being debated in Washington …

Winter into Spring: it’s a powerful symbol at the nuclear talks in Lausanne, on the shore of Lake Geneva. The Iranian and American delegations are acutely aware this weekend brings one of the most important festivals in the ancient Persian calendar – Norouz or New Year.

Outwardly, Karachi is an imposing edifice, but inwardly, a general lack of political liberty is corroding the public and private virtue of its leaders and citizens. Marked by the lack of economic prosperity and domestic tranquility, the extinction of political liberty in Karachi is a prelude to inevitable degeneration of the civic life. In Karachi, the important issue is not …

On March 3, the US capital Washington D.C. witnessed an absurd political theatre when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before a joint session of Congress — not the Knesset — to give a speech on the dangers of Iran’s nuclear weapons programme and used his podium in the US Congress to criticize the US President. How ironic, the political …

British High Commissioner to Pakistan During recent years we have tripled the number of scholarships for Pakistani students. Jahangir’s World Times (JWT): As you have completed first year of your posting in Pakistan, how would you describe your experience? Philip Barton (PB): Well, this has been a wonderful experience and I had been having a very interesting professional time here …