Imran Barlas

You can take Gullu Butt off the street, but not out of the PML-N it seems. Through its handling of the PIA strike, this government has descended to new levels of infamy with its brutish violence against employees who were protesting the airline’s privatisation. It appears to have learned nothing from the previous Minhajul Quran […]

Anyone visiting a market in Lahore lately might have heard the crimes of the Myanmar government against the Rohingya Muslims blared out on a set of speakers, followed by a call to shut down shops and march in protest. Turn to a passer-by or a shopkeeper and he will remark in agreement: “It is terrible […]

Three reactions to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) New Development Bank, announced a few months ago, have been prominent. The news was received by conservative western economists and policy advisors as an unwelcome competitor to the World Bank and IMF. By some within left politics, its arrival was interpreted as beneficial. Fidel […]

It is thought that one of the reasons why the Roman Empire fell was that it had become unsustainable. The Romans built their empire through conquests of vast territories, and yet, what built the Roman Empire also caused its negation. The costs of maintaining the empire and the logistical difficulties of defending its territories from […]

It is disturbing to see John McCain, a US senator and war hawk, rushing to Ukraine and cheering on crowds of protestors to revolt against their own government. Under no circumstances would the US allow a foreign politician a travel visa to fly over for the express purpose of inciting people to revolt against the […]

Until a few days ago, it seemed all but certain that an attack on Syria by the US, Britain and France would have already occurred by now. Indeed, many anti-war activists felt that the war would already be underway by the time they were on the streets with placards and slogans, but it has not […]

Libya was distinguished from some other Arab Spring protests by its armed rebellion, which rode on the support of NATO and Gulf countries to topple Muammar Gaddafi. This support included an all-out bombardment (no-fly zone), weapon supplies, equipment, training, intelligence, diplomatic recognition and funds. The rebels themselves were a mix of supposedly secular and unquestionably […]