Dr Zia Ul Haque Shamsi

There is broad agreement among scholars and professionals that the state continues to function as a singular, unified entity in the current international system, which is outdated and lacks a recognized authority. Every state has at least three fundamental components: population, territory, and a recognised government. The states have their interests usually referred to as […]

As discussed in Part I, the prevalent international environment is too complex and uncertain and will remain so until China and Russia have dethroned the US from the mantle of being the sole superpower of the post-Cold War world. Therefore, my argument is that hybrid solutions to protracted conflicts may be found by the regional […]

The title is expected to draw the attention of academics and the likely demand would be to immediately explain what is rivalism and how can it be compared with an age-old and time-tested international relations theory of realism. Realism stood for power, security, and interests, due to which it has survived in testing times. Realism […]

As discussed in Part I, the prevalent international environment is too complex and uncertain and will remain so until China and Russia have dethroned the US from the mantle of being the sole superpower of the post-Cold War world. Therefore, my argument is that hybrid solutions to protracted conflicts may be found by the regional […]

In an anarchic international system, each state has at least two avenues to ensure development and survival, diplomacy and deterrence (D2). Both these concepts date back to times immemorial. However, each state has differing mechanisms for employing these concepts in different sets of circumstances. I believe that the consequences of the failure of diplomacy and […]

In my last week’s column Rise and Fall of Societies-I, published in Daily Times, Pakistan on June 24, 2024, I highlighted the possible causes of the demise of the golden era of the Islamic society. In Part II, I will make an effort to suggest a way forward to recover from the morass our society […]

Allah Al Mighty has outlined several events of the near and distant past in The Quran about the perished nations who were involved in societal crimes. While the disobedience of the Prophets of Allah was a common reason, the societal crimes also included unethical and unnatural practices and even cheating in measurements. In this short […]

The only thing permanent in life is our past because it cannot be changed. Similarly, if states are like humans because they are governed by the people, their historical account also cannot be changed. The intellectual puzzle that I am going to put forward in the form of a question is, whether to keep cursing […]

In last week’s article, I highlighted the permanency of the neighbouring state in the prevalent international system. Also, insisted on a better understanding among the neighbouring states to resolve their disputes peacefully. However, the realists reject such ideas as being too idealistic and hence support the wars and conflicts in the garb of interests and […]