Author Archives: Munir Akram
12th May, 2013
Foreign policy challenges
THE new government emerging from yesterday’s elections will face difficult domestic problems.
THE new government emerging from yesterday’s elections will face difficult domestic problems.
28th April, 2013
Shifting Asian pivot
OVER a year ago, President Obama announced America’s strategic pivot to Asia, away from its century-old Eurocentric focus.
OVER a year ago, President Obama announced America’s strategic pivot to Asia, away from its century-old Eurocentric focus.
14th April, 2013
Blood, pride and hope
MODERN analyses of the comparative strength of states utilise metrics such as population, GDP, military spending and other ‘objective’ criteria.
MODERN analyses of the comparative strength of states utilise metrics such as population, GDP, military spending and other ‘objective’ criteria.
31st March, 2013
America’s new strategy
AFTER a decade dedicated to the “war on terror” and two long and costly land wars, the US has already shifted strategic gears. It has left Iraq, mission largely unaccomplished
AFTER a decade dedicated to the “war on terror” and two long and costly land wars, the US has already shifted strategic gears. It has left Iraq, mission largely unaccomplished
17th March, 2013
Pipeline politics
THE only existing gas pipeline in Pakistan is the Sui gas distribution network that has supplied Pakistani homes, factories and power plants for the past four decades.
THE only existing gas pipeline in Pakistan is the Sui gas distribution network that has supplied Pakistani homes, factories and power plants for the past four decades.
3rd March, 2013
A grand bargain?
AFTER a long hiatus, Iran is again sitting across the table from the P5+1 (Germany) in Almaty for talks covering its nuclear programme plus related issues.
AFTER a long hiatus, Iran is again sitting across the table from the P5+1 (Germany) in Almaty for talks covering its nuclear programme plus related issues.
17th February, 2013
Sustainable development
THE Rio+20 summit on sustainable development held last June did not attract major headlines in the mainstream media despite its existential implications.
THE Rio+20 summit on sustainable development held last June did not attract major headlines in the mainstream media despite its existential implications.
3rd February, 2013
Pakistan’s triple front
PAKISTAN is at another inflexion point in its eventful history. It confronts strategic challenges simultaneously on three fronts: internal, western and eastern.
PAKISTAN is at another inflexion point in its eventful history. It confronts strategic challenges simultaneously on three fronts: internal, western and eastern.
20th January, 2013
Pakistan’s political cliff
“CHAOS Theory” is a course taught at many prestigious universities to analyse and predict developments during crises. Pakistan’s short but turbulent political history provides excellent empirical data for such study.
“CHAOS Theory” is a course taught at many prestigious universities to analyse and predict developments during crises. Pakistan’s short but turbulent political history provides excellent empirical data for such study.
6th January, 2013
The Monti option
PAKISTAN will hold its next parliamentary and presidential elections this year. Many Pakistanis see this first ever completion of its term by an elected civilian government as cause for celebration.
PAKISTAN will hold its next parliamentary and presidential elections this year. Many Pakistanis see this first ever completion of its term by an elected civilian government as cause for celebration.
23rd December, 2012
The strategic agenda
THE present flows from the past, and the future will emerge from the present.
THE present flows from the past, and the future will emerge from the present.
9th December, 2012
Muslim conflicts
FROM the desert of the Sahel to the islands of the Pacific, Muslim peoples and states are today afflicted by conflicts and violence of varying dimensions and intensity.
FROM the desert of the Sahel to the islands of the Pacific, Muslim peoples and states are today afflicted by conflicts and violence of varying dimensions and intensity.
25th November, 2012
New weapons, new wars
THROUGHOUT history, the emergence of new and more effective weapons has usually led to war or escalated violence.
THROUGHOUT history, the emergence of new and more effective weapons has usually led to war or escalated violence.
11th November, 2012
Out of Afghanistan
OVER the course of history, many foreign armies have entered Afghanistan; almost all have left in disarray or defeat. America’s exit will be no exception.
OVER the course of history, many foreign armies have entered Afghanistan; almost all have left in disarray or defeat. America’s exit will be no exception.
14th October, 2012
Terrorism and the Taliban
THE cold-blooded shooting of Malala Yousufzai, the girls’ rights activist, by a Taliban hit man has led to an unusual outcry in Pakistan against this “bestial”, “obscene” and “horrendous” act of terrorism. This
THE cold-blooded shooting of Malala Yousufzai, the girls’ rights activist, by a Taliban hit man has led to an unusual outcry in Pakistan against this “bestial”, “obscene” and “horrendous” act of terrorism. This
30th September, 2012
Defamation of religions
THE recent tragic events surrounding the profane and provocative video insulting Islam’s Prophet (PBUH) have again revived tensions between the Islamic world and America and revealed the wide cultural and
THE recent tragic events surrounding the profane and provocative video insulting Islam’s Prophet (PBUH) have again revived tensions between the Islamic world and America and revealed the wide cultural and
16th September, 2012
Investment prospects
LAST week, the China Development Research Foundation, a body directly linked to China’s State Council, hosted a roundtable in Beijing on ‘Accelerating China-Pakistan Economic Partnership’.
LAST week, the China Development Research Foundation, a body directly linked to China’s State Council, hosted a roundtable in Beijing on ‘Accelerating China-Pakistan Economic Partnership’.
2nd September, 2012
The sweet and sour war
THE 44-year US-Soviet Cold War was so called because it stopped short of a shooting conflict. The superpowers — each with over 20,000 nuclear weapons — were deterred from direct confrontation by the declared doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). But despite the Soviet Union’s demise, the
THE 44-year US-Soviet Cold War was so called because it stopped short of a shooting conflict. The superpowers — each with over 20,000 nuclear weapons — were deterred from direct confrontation by the declared doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). But despite the Soviet Union’s demise, the
19th August, 2012
The spreading conflict
THE outbreak and intensity of the civil war in Syria, even after the Arab Spring arrived in Egypt, was unexpected; its consequences may be even more surprising.
THE outbreak and intensity of the civil war in Syria, even after the Arab Spring arrived in Egypt, was unexpected; its consequences may be even more surprising.
5th August, 2012
Silk Road to development
SO far, development in Pakistan has been heavily reliant on aid from and trade with the US and other Western countries.
SO far, development in Pakistan has been heavily reliant on aid from and trade with the US and other Western countries.
