The Xiaoping model
Pakistan is passing through difficult and unprecedented times. We are facing enormous difficulties with a clear lack of resources, overpopulation, widespread poverty, a huge debt burden, no savings, an uncompetitive…
Politics and economy
Perhaps a better caption could have been politicians and economics but a fair sense of judgement prevailed. The subject is one of an incredible juxtaposition. The words apparently contrast each…
Russia-Ukraine war: origins and endgame
Three years after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the advent of Donald Trump into power in the US has upset the applecart for Volodymyr Zelensky and hints at a…
Compulsions of grand strategy
Pakistan’s leaders and policymakers generally suffer from thinking in tactical terms with short-term considerations in dealing with national issues at the expense of a sound strategy which can guide on…
Small and great
WITH the exception of a handful of countries, this world is ruled by small people. There is no great man in sight. In America, Richard Nixon was the last great…
From steam engines to silicon chips
The economic and social development of nations since the 19th century has been influenced by technological advancements, political governance, education, global trade, and social movements. The Industrial Revolution of the…
Continuity
No zero-sum political theatrics, please. No idle shipping containers blocking roads, disrupting lives, and choking the economy, please. Absolutely no disruptive dharnas that paralyse cities. What Pakistanis desperately need are…
Zooming in on China
One of the most important factors and common denominators behind the success of great empires was the level of preparedness and willingness to struggle to achieve national goals. The same…
Deja vu in East Asia?
The slowdown of the Chinese economy in recent years together with significant demographic shifts has generated speculations about whether China is on a downward trajectory similar to Japan’s at the…
China’s miracles
This week, China has been celebrating its foundation day as the People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949. Comparing Pakistan and China at their births in his…
