National 1. On Oct 16, ______ became the first head of the Saarc’s Anti-Corruption Forum (ACF). (a) Sri Lanka (b) India (c) Bhutan (d) Pakistan 2. The country director of the United Nations Population Fund is ______. (a) Haji Ahmed Malik (b) Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah (c) Dr Hassan Mohtashami (d) Christine Lagarde 3. The reverse side of the 10-rupee coin, …
Read More »World in Focus (October-November 2016)
NATIONAL Oct 16: Pakistan became the first head of the Saarc’s Anti-Corruption Forum (ACF) for a year. Oct 17: Third unit of the Chashma nuclear power project in Pakistan went into operation. Highlights China’s first overseas reactor at Chashma went into operation in 2000, while the second was completed in 2011. It is the third, and the fourth will be …
Read More »A cursory glance at PAK-RUSSIA RELATIONS
The relationship between Pakistan and Russia has been under stresses and strains for rather a longer period of time. Especially during the days of the Cold War, the relations were at their lowest ebb. The bilateral ties got an inauspicious start with the former Soviet Union eschewing sending the customary words of felicitation on Pakistan’s emergence as an independent country …
Read More »Our Foreign Policy Failures
“Foreign policy is the system of activities evolved by communities for changing the behaviour of other states and for adjusting their own activities to the international environment.” — George Modelski Foreign policy is a behavioural pattern which the states adopt to conduct their diplomatic relations with other states in the global system. This policy, which is designed and redesigned by …
Read More »A Critical Analysis of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy
In the recent months, fears have been expressed that Pakistan is, or will soon be, isolated due to a flawed foreign policy being pursued by the government. But, a brief analysis of the state of affairs reveals that those expressing these fears are largely mistaken as many of them seem to be using Indian rhetoric. As a matter of fact, …
Read More »Foreign Policy of Pakistan, A Strategic Vision
Pakistan’s foreign policy choices, like any other country, are determined by international and regional geopolitical trends as well as by its domestic environment. Foreign policy formulation in Pakistan has also taken imprints of global situation that is rapidly transforming, regional situation that remains complex and domestic environment which offers multitude of both challenges and opportunities. On global stage, profound transformations …
Read More »The US under Trump
Since the US still wields considerable economic power and possesses unmatchable military prowess, the entire world keenly watched the debates between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican hopeful Donald Trump for the most powerful position in the world, the President of the United States. The incendiary statement of firebrand Trump against asserting China, Russia and Islam led an overwhelming number …
Read More »Obama’s Foreign Policy, A Balance Sheet
As President Barack H. Obama’s second term is coming to its end and Donald J. Trump has been elected as the new president of the United States, it’s time to make a critical evaluation of Obama’s foreign policy. President Obama entered the Oval Office with an avowed aim to “change” the United States. However, when he is leaving the office, …
Read More »CPEC, A Chinese Eclipse over Pakistani Economy?
Since her very independence, Pakistan has been, and is still, relying on foreign-aid from international financial institutions like IMF, World Bank and others as well as from foreign donor countries. These loans, although, kept Pakistan’s economic locomotive running yet it could not produce sustainable economic growth. With the passage of time, we were burdened with increasing foreign debt. And, at …
Read More »The European Union, “United in Diversity”
Often described as the world’s most powerful regional bloc, the European Union (EU) has long been the most developed model of regional integration. Over the years, it has gone through various crises, like the Eurozone Crisis and more recently the Brexit vote in United Kingdom, but every time it has emerged ever more stronger. Here is a brief look at …
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