February 2014

“Dealing with Indian influence in Afghanistan is a crucial test for Pakistan”

Asia is best known for its contribution to global economic growth. Yet for some time, security concerns seem to have clouded people’s thinking about Asia.

While Afghan elections and the drawdown of US/NATO forces is knocking at the door, carked Afghanistan is in quest for a political strategy of national cohesion, good neighbourly relations and comfortable ties with global powers.

The conventional wisdom in Pakistan is to treat the issues related to water resources as essentially technical, economic, engineering and irrigation related.

The government discourse on the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons has long been dominated by traditional approaches to national security.

In early December 2013, Israeli President Shimon Peres stated that he was willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The Israeli and Iranian media have not paid much attention to this statement so far, probably assuming that such a meeting is unlikely to happen and that the individuals lack the power to cut a deal.

Authoritarian populism, long associated with Latin American regimes, is generally considered a thing of the past in Europe. But it is quite misleading.

The global economy in 2013 remained suspended between the poles of hope and uncertainty. While recovery gained momentum, particularly in some advanced economies, the world economy is not yet flying on all engines — and is likely to remain underpowered this year as well.

The genesis of the ongoing Afghan crisis is rooted in the chaos and conflict that engulfed this unfortunate country in the aftermath of the Soviet Afghan war.