2020

COVID-19 and Human Rights “The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency — but it is far more. It is an economic crisis. A social crisis. And a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General The Covid-19 crisis has provided some political leaders with a perfect pretext to advance narrow interests, brushing …

Civil Service in Pakistan Reforms vs. Regulation Kamran Adil The incumbent government has introduced two major sets of rules in 2019 and 2020 that have far reaching potential effects for civil service in Pakistan. These rules have redefined and expanded the promotion and attrition regimes of the civil service. A look at legal and constitutional framework related to civil service …

The Collapse of Neoliberalism the ideology at the root of all our problems fades aways For 40 years, we have lived in a neoliberal era, an era defined in public policy by deregulation, liberalization, privatization and austerity. Starting with the Thatcher and Reagan revolutions, neoliberal ideas spread to capture the centre and even the left, ultimately becoming the reigning policy …

The world must prevent Virus-induced Hunger Marco V. Sánchez Cantillo Many uncertainties haunt the world’s campaign to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, but one thing is now sure: Global economic activity will suffer greatly, with large-scale consequences for the incomes and welfare of all, but especially for the most vulnerable food import-dependent countries.

Religious Intolerance in India USCIRF recommends imposition of ‘targeted sanctions’ Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s religious bigotry has seen an exponential growth, Religious minorities, especially the Muslims, are being subjected to persecution under state patronage. This dangerously growing trend is now projecting the real image of the country to the international community. Religious intolerance and persecution of minorities has …

Indo-US Ties All that glitters is not gold

Geopolitical Consequences of Covid-19 The world will never be the same Ghufran Wakeel While the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy is more dramatic than any other shock in recent history, the consequences of the virus for the geopolitical order could be even more consequential. A radical shift in the global political economy may be imminent in …

Erdoğan & the Question of Resurrection of the Ottoman Empire Abdul Rasool Syed What Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is poised to do after the expiration of the Treaty of Lausanne by 2023? Is he really endeavoring to resurrect the Ottoman Caliphate? Almost every political discourse, nowadays, led by political luminaries, spin doctors and academicians, revolves around such questions. The whole world …

Covid-19 and US-China Tussle A lose-lose proposition that will do damage worldwide Shafqat Javed Covid-19 is becoming a key element in US-China relations. The pandemic has aggravated the already sinking US-China relationship attributed to the two countries’ trade, technology and geopolitical wars. The United States is increasingly blaming China for the spread of the coronavirus, the damage it has done …

Covid-19 Response Will it accelerate the Shift in Power from the West to the East? Athar Mansoor Our century is witnessing a tectonic shift in global power and influence from the West to the East. In his book, “The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East,” Kishore Mahbubani, a former Dean and Professor in Practice …