Study Kit

Pakistan’s main issue has been its crisis of governance as manifested by a weak institutional framework. In nearly seventy-one years of its existence, Pakistan has been ruled by four Governors-General, twelve presidents (including four military dictators) and thirty prime ministers (including caretaker prime ministers entrusted with the job of holding elections). It has witnessed thirty-two years of military dictatorship and …

Want to understand power? Forget Machiavelli! For too long, argues Dacher Keltner, author of “The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence,” we have accepted unquestioningly the version of power made famous by that sixteenth century author. To Niccolo Machiavelli, Keltner explains, power is “about force, fraud, ruthlessness and strategic violence.” To Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology and Director …

“The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan 1947–2008” by Ilhan Niaz makes a strong case for the quotation, “the one who does not remember history is bound to live through it”. In the book, the author has tried to trace the current culture of power and governance in Pakistan through the rich history of the Subcontinent. He has asked …

Everybody believes (or claims to believe) in the rule of law, but how many people could tell you what it means? Although Tom Bingham, a retired senior law lord, has spent his life in its service, even he does not find defining it that easy. But his short book is a remarkable essay on the subject, stooping from panoptic heights …

Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) will probably be the most important agent of change in the 21st century. It will transform our economy, our culture, our politics and even our own bodies and minds in ways most people can hardly imagine. If you hear a scenario about the world in 2050 and it sounds …

Reviewed by: Venky Vembu Follow the Incredible Journey of a Single Dollar to See How the Global Economy Really Works You don’t normally look to a Hollywood musical for lessons on the effect of money supply in the economy. Yet, in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!, the eponymous matchmaker Dolly Levi, played by a peppy Barbra Streisand, channels her late …

NATIONAL  Sep 16: British Pakistani boxer Muhammad Ali made history when he became the first boxer with type-one diabetes to win a professional fight. He defeated Andrej Cepur. Sep 16: Competing with 12,000 other contestants, a Pakistani student Zahra Hussain won an essay competition organized by the British Royal Commonwealth Society. She wrote on the topic ‘Hues of Red’. It …

By David Balaam & Bradford Dillman In the book titled “Introduction to International Political Economy” (IPE), the authors – David Balaam and Bradford Dillman – analyze a number of complex issues of international and global economies in a comprehensive way. The book is structured into five parts representing a completed entity both from the theoretical and practical viewpoints. In the …

HRCP fact-finding report highlights worst curbs on freedom of expression The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has launched a fact-fining report about the ‘worst curbs’ on freedom of expression in Pakistan. The report begins by highlighting that recently an overwhelming number of journalists — including reporters, editors and anchors — have spoken about the interference in freedom of expression. …

NATIONAL 1. On Aug 16, PPP’s Syed Murad Ali Shah and PTI’s ____were elected as the chief ministers of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively. (a) Mahmood Khan         (b) Atif Khan (c) Jamal Khattak                  (d) Shahram Tarakai 2. The current National Assembly is ______ in the country’s history. (a) 14th  …