October 2016

Though most Arab states are yet to formally recognise Israel as an independent state, their relations with the Jewish state have considerably improved since the successful conclusion of the Iran-P5+1 nuclear deal. The oft-cited maxim that only national interest determines a country’s relations has stood valid again. Bearing in mind the adage that the enemy of my enemy is my …

Introduction The latest award in the South China Sea arbitration by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has stirred new debates in the realm of international peace and security. The award has academic as well as pragmatic significance. On the academic side, it is likely to spark off a debate about primacy and hierarchical relationship of the sources of …

The bombing of Quetta’s Civil Hospital that claimed the lives of more than 70 people, most of them lawyers who had gathered there after their leader’s killing earlier in the day, has once again left our wounds agape and the entire nation was engulfed by the feeling of intense pain. The nation wants an end to such agonizing and despicable …

The year 2016 has seen a lot of provocations from North Korea. After conducting a series of missile tests in complete defiance to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, went on with its intransigence by hitting the button on its fifth and potentially most powerful nuclear test on 09 September. Since these tests will potentially jeopardize peace on the …

Globalization is entering a new era, defined not only by cross-border flows of goods and capital, but also, and increasingly, by flows of data and information. This shift would seem to favour the advanced economies, whose industries are at the frontier in employing digital technologies in their products and operations. Will developing countries be left behind? For decades, vying for …

“Unfortunately, despite all our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capability and global reach … The resources needed for terrorism are very modest, and the group would have to suffer even heavier losses of territory, manpower, and money for its terrorist capacity to decline significantly. Daesh is …

 “Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy” The Group of Twenty (G20) is a forum that has played a vital role in responding to the global financial crisis of 2008 and strengthening the global financial architecture. In 2009, former British Premier, Mr Gordon Brown, orchestrated a deal wherein world leaders agreed on a $1.1 trillion injection of financial …

Nature Photographer of the Year Contest

Marc-André Franche, the country director for UNDP Pakistan for four years, recently bade farewell to Pakistan to take a position as the Chief of Financing at the United Nations Peace building Fund. Unlike most of his peers from international development community, Marc has usually been found very vocal about the causes and consequences of Pakistan’s socioeconomic problems. In an interview …

PLIGHT OF HEALTH SECTOR Undoubtedly, health has always remained a neglected frontier in Pakistan. The conditions of hospitals in Pakistan and healthcare facilities are substandard. A recently-released report said that Pakistan’s ranking in the Mother Mortality Ratio (MMR) had slipped from 147th last year to 149th this year. The government hospitals lack experienced doctors, technicians and the paraphernalia required to …