Rarely a recent conflict has been more replete with lessons for the policy making elite than the Ukraine-Russia war. This marks the end of the optimistic bonhomie of the 90s and definitively starts another era of a new Cold War between the US and its allies on one side and Russia and China aligned nations…
Natural disasters are notorious for two things – one, unleashing an era of human suffering and two, putting the moral compass and learning effectiveness of the ruling elite and the state under the microscope! In the recent floods, hitting vast swathes of Pakistan, the former was unfortunately on ample display and the latter was repeatedly…
By now it is a cliché to say that these are trying and difficult circumstances; they have been for quite some time and nothing on the horizon suggests that they will change anytime soon. For a developing country such as Pakistan – things are doubly tough! Particularly when it comes to foreign policy challenges. Thus,…
Imagine two opposing parties slugging it out in a court of law and then both accepting the ruling wholeheartedly afterwards. Imagine indicted individuals coming to court or jail without displaying victory signs. Imagine the truth actually coming out during a hearing. Imagine the competence, or lack thereof, of the prosecution and defence open for public…
Recently there has been a lot of talk about honour and independence in international relations, specifically in foreign policy formulation. Imran Khan particularly has struck a chord with the population all across the country. Right or wrong, his narrative of a ‘foreign conspiracy’ to stop his ‘independent foreign policy’ is gaining traction within the masses….
Absolute monarchies are generally that – absolute. Therefore, the recent news emanating from the Saudi Kingdom suggesting changes to the system governing its flag and anthem was not without some iota of surprise! Note that the contents are not being changed but just that the binding rules that authorize the usage of the two are…
Recently the political climate in Pakistan has been abuzz with the phrase ‘regime change’. This has added fuel to the fire, which was already raging quite wildly! The fact that regime change is a reality that the world has witnessed quite often is a given but the fact that regime change can gain a successful…
The first part of my two-parter opinion on the recently released National Security Policy (NSP) focused on commending the good start, defining and then suggesting adding national identity and national purpose to the conceived national security framework, recommending clear and succinct articulation of vital national interests and touching upon instruments of statecraft needed and the…
In Pakistan, intellectual endeavours especially those emanating from the government are few and far between. Therefore, any governmental work done in that domain should be cherished. Consequently, the recently released National Security Policy its publicly available version anyway should be appreciated. I have previously written about rebooting the national security framework of Pakistan so that…
To say that America’s Afghanistan debacle has put the cat amongst the pigeons would be a grave understatement! For now, the area has become a hotbed of more uncertainty and instability. An abrupt and poorly planned end to more than 20 years of occupation will do that to a region. On cue, recriminations have started…
