Americas self-inflicted decline on June 7, 2017SINCE the Second World War, the US has positioned itself as a global leader. It emerged as a leader of global governance, guardian of human rights and values, and a champion for openness. But under Trump’s administration, that may no longer be the case. With Trump’s America First approach, the global economic and political architecture […]
Managing diversity: a collective failure on April 26, 2017Pakistan is beset with multiple deep-rooted challenges. While poor economic growth, security and energy crisis are commonly cited as key issues, the fundamental problem concerns the decaying moral foundations of our society. Extremism of all kinds has infected our societal conscience fueling widespread polarisation. This is manifested not only in the scourge of domestic terrorism […]
Why Panama should not be forgotten on October 7, 2016Morgan, a five-year-old, was playing at a dump in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi while his mother worked sorting through the rubbish. The local children often come to this dump to scavenge for food scraps or work alongside the adults. Morgan says he wasn’t at school as his family couldn’t afford it. Meanwhile, in February […]
Making sense of Brexit in a xenophobic world on June 27, 2016The unthinkable has happened. On 24th June, Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a historic referendum. The results of the referendum have sent shock waves across the world, leaving many in disbelief and denial. It has thrown into question the fate of the EU and Britain that will no longer be the […]
Gender-based violence in Pakistan on June 13, 2016Recent news stories have been dominated with horrifying gender atrocities increasingly committed against women. A jirga (a tribal council) in Abbottabad ruled teenage girl be set ablaze for helping a friend elope. Last week, a 16-year old girl was murdered by her mother for marrying the man of her choice. Hundreds of women are killed […]
The tragedy of human development on May 11, 2016What is development? How do we measure progress? Is development about economic growth? These are some of the fundamental questions international development practitioners seek to address. While development is incredibly broad phenomena, policymakers and public in Pakistan have a restricted understanding of the term. The mainstream perception focuses on infrastructural transformation viewing physical and tangible […]
The centrality of institutions on May 4, 2016Why do nations fail? Why are some countries more developed than others? Why do some lead while others lag behind? These are some of the fundamental questions international development experts strive to answer. While it is not plausible to explain variations in prosperity and poverty through a single cause, Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson […]
Panama and the democracy argument on April 19, 2016The Panama Papers leaks have taken the world by storm. The hidden wealth of some of the world’s most prominent leaders and politicians has been exposed by an unprecedented leak of millions of documents that show how the rich can exploit legal channels to expand their fortunes. While Panama leaks issue is on a global […]
The unholy religious-political nexus on March 20, 2016Global and local forces have shaped social and political life in Pakistan, often decisively. One such force is religion. Religion in Pakistan has been traditionally exploited for political gains. The consequences of such abuse are still deeply felt in every echelon of society. Many of the contemporary challenges such as terrorism, extremism and poor social […]
First Rangers, now NAB: the curse of corruption on March 6, 2016When confronted with the big question what is the one thing that is keeping Pakistan from prospering, the most common responses are likely to be terrorism and power outages. But what drives terrorism? Is bad governance partly to blame? Are power breakdowns merely due to genuine shortage of supply? More than six billion people live […]