The controversy surrounding the recently nominated US Supreme Court judge, Brett Kavanaugh, has once again highlighted how prevalent misogyny is in Donald Trump’s presidency. This misogyny, however, is not endemic solely to Trump’s regime but is instead the product of a toxic definition of white American masculinity that has been essential in shaping American notions […]
Rethinking the security paradigm
The 2018 elections were a moment of extreme significance in Pakistan’s history, not just for the seismic shift they have triggered in Pakistani politics, but also because of the violence that marred the build-up to the polls. The terror attack which took place in Mastung, Balochistan — the deadliest attack in Pakistan since the APS […]
When two Pakistani students in US attempted to bust myths about Pakistan
Most foreigners tend to imagine Pakistan as home to unfriendly, conservative people, a monolithic, insular culture, and to some of the most dangerous radical outfits of this world. But two Pakistani students at Cornell University, USA—Mohammad Zohair Javed and Shan Ahmed attempted to bust the myths about Pakistan by organising a trip to the country […]
Cornell student delegation lauds Pakistan’s hospitality
Most foreigners tend to imagine Pakistan as home to unfriendly people, a monolithic and insular culture, and to some of the most dangerous radical outfits of this world. It was this very view of Pakistan two Pakistani students at Cornell University, US — Mohammad Zohair Javed and Shan Ahmed — attempted to change when they […]
A brief history of Pakistan’s turbulent democratic and political evolution
On the 25th of July, millions of Pakistanis will brave the hot, humid July weather, perennial fears of security and their own apprehensions of Pakistan’s fledgling democracy to head to the polls and to elect Pakistan’s new government. The day is in fact a historic moment because this will only be the second time Pakistan […]
A brief history of Pakistan’s turbulent democratic and political evolution
On the 25th of July, millions of Pakistanis will brave the hot, humid July weather, perennial fears of security and their own apprehensions of Pakistan’s fledgling democracy to head to the polls and to elect Pakistan’s new government. The day is in fact a historic moment because this will only be the second time Pakistan […]
The crisis of urban planning
Nothing perhaps characterises the struggles of the Global South better than the quintessential image of a boisterous, over-crowded city in the developing world. Environmentally unsustainable, racked with anomie and on occasion at the brink of civil war, these cities in a microcosm highlight the inequality and biased planning that lie at the heart of neoliberalism. […]
Demonising the poor in the ‘Age of Anger’
The vision Francis Fukuyama gave when he so confidently declared the ‘end of history’ of a prosperous, affluent world run by the efficient workings of the free market now sadly lies in tatters. From misogynist white supremacists calling the shots in America, to Britons striking at the very heart of an interconnected world voting for […]
Rethinking development
One legacy of colonialism in countries such as Pakistan is the perennial debate over what form of growth or development strategies these countries should adopt, so that they too can join the hallowed bastion of developed and westernised states. This conversation has manifested itself in Pakistan in the various development policies ranging from the ‘doctrine […]
‘Undoing the Demos’ — Neoliberalism’s assault on democracy
How does neoliberalism reconcile democracy with capital? Why have states and governments come to increasingly represent firms and corporations with their balance sheets of debt and growth? How has the use of the term ‘governance’ instead of political rule vitiated state control? These are some of the questions academic and political theorist Wendy Brown aims […]