2020

How to Overcome Hurdles to CPEC first, Pakistan is hobbled by a high fiscal and current account deficit, a large foreign debt and a resulting heavy debt repayment burden. Its ability to provide support funds for CPEC has lost to a great extent, and there is large financial pressure to expand infrastructure construction. IMF loans come with conditions and Pakistan …

How to Address Gender Disparities?  Indices are like black boxes. Before looking for the reasons behind Pakistan’s dismal performance on gender parity front, it would be enlightening to peep into various components of the Global Gender Gap Index. The Index examines the gap between men and women across four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, …

CPEC LINKAGES OF PEACE & PROSPERITY We should be thankful to US Assistant Secretary of State, Alice Wells, for at least showing some concern about Pakistan’s interests. She is worried that China is not sincere with Pakistan and its CPEC projects with Pakistan are not an aid but rather a form of loans that ensured guaranteed profits for state-owned Chinese …

US-CHINA TRADE DEAL After nearly two years’ trade talks, the world’s two dominant economic powers, the United States and China, have signed an initial trade deal that will roll back some tariffs and boost Chinese purchases of US goods and services. Through the “Phase One” deal, which was signed in Washington on January 15, the Trump administration aims to resolve …

Top 10 Geopolitical Trends of 2019 Europe’s Populist Surge In 2019, the rise of populism in Europe continued apace. France’s Yellow Vest protesters returned to the streets throughout the year. They also inspired people in other countries throughout Europe and around the world. The populist struggle also advanced in Britain over Brexit, with pro-Brussels forces making numerous attempts to cancel …

The Unstable Middle East  A review of seven Mideast conflicts The dynamics of power politics in the Middle East have drastically changed. There are many conflicting and contrasting historic, economic, geo-political and strategic forces in this part of the world. With the elimination of strong autocrats like Saddam Hussein, Moammar al-Gaddafi; the mauling of Bashar al-Assad in the bloody Syrian …

  Gen. Soleimani’s Assassination cry “havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war  on January 03, Qassim Suleimani, a top Iranian security force commander and the architect of Tehran’s regional military operations, was killed in Baghdad by a drone strike which was authorized by US President Donald J. Trump. The Pentagon justified this gruesome act by claiming that Maj. Gen. …

Democracy of Inhumanity and we the people of Global Conscience  In a synoptic view, global leaders professing to be wise and smart for being elected, turned out to be naïve and egoistically foolish. Once elected under the so-called democracy, they focus their minds on how to get re-elected and how to continue a tragic normality of abnormality against the masses …

America can’t Help Fighting Wars  The question that always haunts the intelligentsia and the hoi polloi alike is that why America can’t help fighting wars? Why its chequered history is replete with wars without any apposite casus belli? The answer to such questions is quite simple: war is an economic sine qua non of the existence of the United States. …

Conflicts to Watch in 2020 he understandings and balance of power on which the global order had once been predicated are no longer operative. Washington is both eager to retain the benefits of its leadership and unwilling to shoulder the burdens of carrying it. As a consequence, it is guilty of the cardinal sin of any great power: allowing the …