Study Kit

The direction of U.S.-Russian relations during the early part of the Trump administration will depend on how (and if) the new President is willing to moderate the positions he laid out during the campaign. If past is prelude, it is likely President Trump’s Russia policies will become somewhat more moderate (meaning less favorable to Russia) than his stump rhetoric. This …

Origins of the Treaty: The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory. The negotiations were the initiative of former World Bank President Eugene Black. Seen as one of the most successful international treaties, it has survived frequent tensions, including …

Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty Water remained, however, a tendentious issue in relation to Kashmir. When Nehru visited Karachi in September 1960 to sign the Indus Waters Treaty with Ayub Khan, the two leaders also held lengthy discussions about other questions. According to Indian diplomatic reports, the atmosphere of the talks was “informal and friendly”. Discussions ranged over travel …

One of the United States’ greatest geopolitical imperatives is to prevent the rise of regional hegemons with the ability to challenge it. Russia’s historical dominance of Eurasia, the Soviet Union’s rise as a superpower after World War II and its resulting political, economic and military rivalry with the United States have long made Russia a target of Washington’s actions abroad. …

For all of Trump’s praise for Putin during the election campaign, there is still no coherent line on how the incoming Republican administration plans to deal with Russia.  Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick to head the State Department, said last week that Russia “poses a danger” to the U.S.  Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, James Mattis, went further, naming Russia …

This year’s World Economic Forum is celebrated as an exclusive gathering of the world’s politicians, business moguls and opinion leaders.  They were assembled to share their ideas for a better global economy. Conferences like these are a talking shop where mindsets are influenced, policies refined, promises made, deals agreed and opportunities realised.  The venue for this important conference is Davos, …

It was the year 2002; Boston was shut down due to heavy snowfall and my lecture for a new course that I was teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had been rescheduled. I decided to stay in my apartment and use the time to complete a proposal for my dream project; starting a research university in technology in …

Enum Naseer  The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) recent agreement to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day starting January spells a disaster for oil-importing economies like Pakistan. Non-members, including Russia, have also agreed to pitch in by reducing output by a combined 558,000 barrels a day — to formalise the cooperation, a deal was struck between OPEC …

Aftab Afzal Ranjha The world historians often discuss the events which propelled mass migration in the sub-continent and across the board genocide in the region during the closing days of the British raj. A trail of conspiracies by the Indian National Congress started when it was confirmed that division of the subcontinent was inevitable and imminent. In a state of …

Alauddin Masood Events that led to President General Yahya’s hurried exit on December 17, 1971 Events that unnerved President General Yahya Khan resulting in his hurried resignation from the position of President of Pakistan, Chief Martial Law Administrator and Army Chief on December 17, 1971, were reportedly directed by none other than the Chief of General Staff in GHQ, General …