July 2014

The most basic precondition of a true democratic setup is a healthy civil-military relationship. In all democratic countries, an elected civilian government enjoys full control over the military. However, in Pakistan, control over governance has oscillated between the two; a decade of civilian supremacy followed by a decade of military rule. The reasons for this periodic shuffling are incompetent political …

The economic model pursued by the successive governments since the establishment of Pakistan has premised mainly on the fact that the creation of enabling environment for the big businesses through favourable economic policies, tax exemptions and rebates will pave the way for growth. The idea governing the formulation of business-friendly policies has been that the emergence of a powerful business …

Their confidence gives them clarity to justify things accurately in whatever situations that they’re in. Confidence is a unique and magnificent trait possess by most successful people who lead today’s world no matter whatever disciplines they are in. People who are confident will not have any lapse of judgement and misconduct in their work and life. Great people are the …

South Asia, being the region of critical importance, has a greater role to play in the world politics. But, its prospects to exert its influence are marred by the high level of mistrust between the states in the region. Inter-regional trade is just paltry when seen in the trade relations of other world regions. It is also a heavily-guarded region …

India’s new Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, due to his nationalist tendencies, has been compared to Deng Xiaoping, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Shinzo Abe, Tayyip Erdogan and Mahinda Rajapaksa. Commentators have variously described him as assertive, dynamic and authoritarian. Many believe he is a genuine economic reformer. Others worry about his ‘and his BJP’s hard-line and pro-Hindutva credentials, and wonder whether …

Bill Gates: ‘I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.’ Bill Gates is the richest person in the world. How? He is incredibly demanding. He is incredibly smart. He is an incredible negotiator and salesmen. He has vision. He has passion for what he does. But, …

The highlight of President Putin’s visit to Shanghai in May 2014 was the signing of a 30-year accord to supply China with natural gas through a new pipeline from the Russian Far East. It was no spur-of-the-moment agreement in response to Western threats over the Ukrainian crisis, but rather the product of a decade-long negotiation. From the start, the logic …

Modi completes a quartet of combative leaders in the most powerful nations of the region Finally, India has a new prime minister; and each of Asia’s four most powerful nations is now led by a combative nationalist. The multilateralist assumptions of the postwar order are giving way to a return to great power competition. Nationalism is on the march, and …

Public opinion reports on Americans’ attitudes toward foreign policy sketch a picture of retrenchment, war-weariness, and scepticism toward global engagement, even as there is also a growing concern that the world is increasingly becoming unstable and dangerous. Nothing about this picture is new or controversial. Some may worry about it more than others, but it is now commonly accepted that …

‘This is how wars end in the 21st century; not through signing ceremonies, but through decisive blows against our adversaries, transitions to elected governments, security forces who are trained to take the lead and, ultimately, full responsibility.’ Barack Obama President Obama, recently, announced that all US forces will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, just before he …