Prerequisites of an Independent Foreign Policy on May 20, 2022Recently, there has been a lot of talk about honour and independence in international relations, specifically in foreign policy formulation. Imran Khan particularly has struck a chord with the population all across the country. Right or wrong, his narrative of a “foreign conspiracy” to stop his “independent foreign policy” is gaining traction within the masses. […]
A Case for Open and Televised Hearings on May 9, 2022Imagine two opposing parties slugging it out in a court of law and then both accepting the ruling wholeheartedly afterwards. Imagine indicted individuals coming to court or jail without displaying victory signs. Imagine the truth actually coming out during a hearing. Imagine the competence, or lack thereof, of the prosecution and defence open for public […]
Is Regime Change Ever a Good Policy? on April 8, 2022Recently the political climate in Pakistan has been abuzz with the phrase “regime change.”This has added fuel to the fire, which was already raging quite wildly! The fact that regime change is a reality that the world has witnessed quite often is a given but the fact that regime change can gain a successful outcome […]
Foreign Policy: Where Art Thou Morality? on March 11, 2022Recent events have put the nature of foreign policy in the spotlight once again. There has been a glut of noise – especially from the esteemed social media brigade – against foreign policy options that lack emotions, empathy and morality! Generally, social media opinions are nonsensical at best but this one is worthy of discourse. […]
A New Saudi Identity? on February 21, 2022Absolute monarchies are generally that – absolute. Therefore, recent news emanating from the Saudi kingdom suggesting changes to the system governing its flag and anthem was not without some iota of surprise! Note that the contents are not being changed but just that the binding rules that authorise the usage of the two are being […]
National Security Policy: Good Start, More Needed (Part II) on January 28, 2022The first part of my two-parter opinion on the recently released national security policy focused on commending the good start, defining and then suggesting adding national identity and national purpose to the conceived national security framework, recommending clear and succinct articulation of vital national interests and touching upon instruments of statecraft needed and the underlying […]
National Security Policy: Good start, More needed (Part 1) on January 21, 2022In Pakistan, intellectual endeavours – especially those emanating from the government – are few and far between. Therefore, any governmental work done in that domain should be cherished. Consequently, the recently released national security policy – its publicly available version anyway – should be appreciated. I have previously written about rebooting the national security framework […]
IMF: Friend or Foe? on January 18, 2022Impossible Mission Force – to the uninitiated, IMF can stand for that! Nevertheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a crucial cog in the global financial system. Love it or hate it, it is here to stay. Although the IMF and World Bank came about as part of the Bretton Woods accord after World War […]
Pakistan’s instruments of foreign policy on December 20, 2021By now it is a cliché to say that these are trying and difficult circumstances. They have been for quite some time and nothing on the horizon suggests that they will change anytime soon. For a developing country such as Pakistan – things are doubly tough! Particularly when it comes to foreign policy challenges. Thus, […]
Sialkot Incident, Satire Anyone? on December 10, 2021Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana is a name that will be remembered in Pakistan for a long time. Or will it? Our short-term memory is just that, short! Lest we forget, only recently the Sri Lankan was dispatched to hell (Urdu vernacular: jahanam raseed kar diya) by a mob of steadfast faith (pukhta emaan). Social media is […]