Author Archives: Tanvir Ahmad Khan
18th September, 2012
Putin’s visit in context
WHEN I wrote earlier on Pakistan-Russia relations (Dawn, March 13), I argued that Vladimir Putin’s triumphant return to the office of president would ensure continuity of the process by which Islamabad and Moscow are overcoming the distrust of decades.
WHEN I wrote earlier on Pakistan-Russia relations (Dawn, March 13), I argued that Vladimir Putin’s triumphant return to the office of president would ensure continuity of the process by which Islamabad and Moscow are overcoming the distrust of decades.
4th September, 2012
Reinvigorating NAM
THE Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) had its genesis in a bipolar world; it was built around the Bandung principle that countries throwing away the yoke of colonialism should carve out an independent path
THE Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) had its genesis in a bipolar world; it was built around the Bandung principle that countries throwing away the yoke of colonialism should carve out an independent path
14th August, 2012
Fault-line fantasies
NOT even the seasonal patriotism of Independence Day would make one deny that Pakistan has faced a decade-long crisis of leadership and poor governance.
NOT even the seasonal patriotism of Independence Day would make one deny that Pakistan has faced a decade-long crisis of leadership and poor governance.
31st July, 2012
A creeping intervention
A RETROSPECTIVE look at the last 20 months of the ‘Arab awakening’ highlights some observations. One needs to enumerate some of them as they impinge upon what has by now become a bloody civil war in Syria.
A RETROSPECTIVE look at the last 20 months of the ‘Arab awakening’ highlights some observations. One needs to enumerate some of them as they impinge upon what has by now become a bloody civil war in Syria.
17th July, 2012
Our Afghan policy
THE decision to re-open transit routes for Nato supplies can be defended on a single count: Pakistan in its current state — dysfunctional economy, social disarray, worn-out infrastructure and, above all, a fragmented
THE decision to re-open transit routes for Nato supplies can be defended on a single count: Pakistan in its current state — dysfunctional economy, social disarray, worn-out infrastructure and, above all, a fragmented
5th June, 2012
A perilous endgame
THE Nato summit in Chicago would be a landmark in the history of the military alliance less because of the decisions taken about its future role, described by Washington as being the hub of global security,
THE Nato summit in Chicago would be a landmark in the history of the military alliance less because of the decisions taken about its future role, described by Washington as being the hub of global security,
22nd May, 2012
Our Indian agenda
MY last column (May 8) in this paper talked about the vicious cycle of untoward events and entrenched negotiating postures blocking progress in the direction of genuine rapprochement between India and Pakistan.
MY last column (May 8) in this paper talked about the vicious cycle of untoward events and entrenched negotiating postures blocking progress in the direction of genuine rapprochement between India and Pakistan.
8th May, 2012
Talking with the Indians
THE impulse to write this Op-Ed piece has come from some readers of my article ‘Negotiating with America’ (Dawn, April 24) who suggested that it be followed up with ‘Negotiating with India’.
THE impulse to write this Op-Ed piece has come from some readers of my article ‘Negotiating with America’ (Dawn, April 24) who suggested that it be followed up with ‘Negotiating with India’.
24th April, 2012
Negotiating with America
MILLIONS of words have been written to explain why Pakistan-US relations have alternated between strategic collusion that occasionally became an important determinant of regional history and periods in
MILLIONS of words have been written to explain why Pakistan-US relations have alternated between strategic collusion that occasionally became an important determinant of regional history and periods in
10th April, 2012
Promise of peace?
BY a tragic coincidence, President Zardari left for New Delhi just as a wave of grief over the horrific loss of life caused by a mighty avalanche in the army’s encampment in the dizzying heights of Siachen swept across Pakistan.
BY a tragic coincidence, President Zardari left for New Delhi just as a wave of grief over the horrific loss of life caused by a mighty avalanche in the army’s encampment in the dizzying heights of Siachen swept across Pakistan.
27th March, 2012
Parliamentary oversight
AFTER a curious and almost indefensible delay, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on the guidelines for revised terms of engagement with USA/Nato/Isaf finally tabled its recommendations to a
AFTER a curious and almost indefensible delay, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on the guidelines for revised terms of engagement with USA/Nato/Isaf finally tabled its recommendations to a
13th March, 2012
Fair wind from Kremlin
THE Putin project to restore Russia to great power status advanced on March 5 when Vladimir Putin won 64 per cent of the vote to win the presidential election for a third term.
THE Putin project to restore Russia to great power status advanced on March 5 when Vladimir Putin won 64 per cent of the vote to win the presidential election for a third term.
28th February, 2012
The Syrian stalemate
MY last article on the Arab Spring (Feb 14) expressed the apprehension that all the subtexts of the Arab awakening were heading for a bloody dénouement in Syria.
MY last article on the Arab Spring (Feb 14) expressed the apprehension that all the subtexts of the Arab awakening were heading for a bloody dénouement in Syria.
14th February, 2012
Many faces of Arab Spring
“A THING long expected,” Mark Twain noted, “takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes.” The yearning of the Arab masses for self-determination, democracy and human rights has a long history stretching back to the Ottomans, the European colonial rule in North
“A THING long expected,” Mark Twain noted, “takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes.” The yearning of the Arab masses for self-determination, democracy and human rights has a long history stretching back to the Ottomans, the European colonial rule in North
31st January, 2012
A reality check
IT is an irony of history that international interest in Afghanistan has nearly always been driven by great strategic contests amongst predatory outside powers.
IT is an irony of history that international interest in Afghanistan has nearly always been driven by great strategic contests amongst predatory outside powers.
