The Trump-Bin Salman Tag Team Could Save The Islamic World on November 12, 2017In his thought-provoking new piece on The Atlantic website, academic Mustafa Akyol argues that Islam does not need its own version of the Christian reformation that arose from mass abuses of power by the Catholic clergy. Instead, he contends, Islam needs an era of enlightenment driven by philosopher saints like John Locke to push the […]
Trumps farewell to charms on March 21, 2017Liberal internationalism is dead. Or at the very least on death row awaiting execution should US President Donald Trump push forward with his campaign promises. Why? Simply put, his declared priorities as president are at complete odds with the fundamental feature undergirding the post-1945 world order sired and steered by the US. Once the continents […]
Mind the gap, Bangladesh on December 11, 2016Amid the chaos wrought by political instability and the rise of homegrown jihadist terrorism, Bangladesh finally has something to celebrate this year. In late October, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its latest Global Gender Gap Index that saw Bangladesh emerge as South Asia’s top performer. It ranked 72 out of a total of 144 […]
The people versus Park on November 13, 2016Contrary to popular belief in Pakistan, shady alliances are not uniquely the staple of local politicians. South Korean President Park Geun-hye is a recent case in point. While Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may feel he is being unfairly singled out in the wake of Panama Papers scandal, his troubles are minuscule when compared to Park’s. […]
Nepals water woes on October 30, 2016The international development charity WaterAid in early October rolled out a first-of-a-kind ‘virtual reality’ documentary that allows viewers to follow a Nepalese plumber in point-of-view perspective as he scrambles to restore his the water supply of his village in the wake of a double earthquake last year. Earlier, in August, the UN finally fessed up […]
Al-Aqsa is Israels albatross on October 23, 2016Israel is a country brimming with contradictions. It was founded by atheist Jews to save their people from religious and ideological persecution the world over. Yet today, hardline voices in government have turned Israel into a virtual theocracy allergic to the Arabs. It also claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East, yet […]
War, peace and refugees on October 16, 2016Recent estimates suggest the tidal wave of migrants currently trekking through mainland Europe is the largest mass movement of humans since World War II. This hapless horde seeks to escape protracted conflicts, abject poverty or both. According to published data, some 21 million people worldwide qualify for the United Nations’ (UN) definition of a refugee, […]
Congress backs Saudis into a corner on October 9, 2016The element of surrealism continues to thicken in US politics this election season. A race for the White House pitting arguably the two most unpopular candidates in American history has entered the homestretch amid gaffes and divisive rhetoric unlike anything witnessed in previous cycles. If Hillary Clinton outlasts Donald Trump for the presidency, as polls […]
The East eyes Africa on October 2, 2016It is noteworthy that many national flags in Africa share a commonality of colours. The red, green and yellow, ubiquitous in their designs, are a symbol of pan-Africanism, the roots of which trace back to the 19th century Ethiopian Empire. By adopting them, African countries from Mali to Mozambique pay homage to the only continental […]
The North Korean conundrum on September 25, 2016North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been at the receiving end of many unpleasant epithets from the free press and first world politicians since commandeering the hermit kingdom in December 2011 following the death of his father, “Great Leader” Kim Jong-il. His country’s fifth and most powerful nuclear test to date on September 9 is […]