Africa hears pledges but little action at IMF-World Bank talks
Pummelled by debt, poverty and natural disasters, African nations heard many pledges of support but saw little action at the first IMF-World Bank talks to be held on their soil…
World Bank needs to revisit its policy and lending focus
In its recently released report ‘Pakistan development update October 2023: restoring fiscal sustainability’ the World Bank (WB), just like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policy thinking, including as highlighted in…
The world of mercenaries
Mercenary entrepreneurship is thriving across the world partly due to never-ending regional conflicts of a complex nature, ranging from small-scale land mafias to large-scale wars in different places. Outsourcing is…
Failing to keep up with a changing world
For the last three decades, Pakistanis have been preoccupied with jihad in their neighbourhood and an unending internal power struggle at home. As a result, Pakistan’s national discourse has failed…
A sense of the world
It had been raining for hours, though not as heavily as our monsoon downpours, when we ventured out on a drive. It was early in the afternoon last Sunday, well…
As world swelters, will new IPCC climate science chief be a woman?
Amid scorching heatwaves from Europe to China and the United States, governments will this week pick a new leader for the UN’s flagship science panel on climate change - with…
In a warming world, is an air-conditioned future inevitable?
They are ubiquitous in the United States, controversial in Europe and coveted in South Asia. As heatwaves intensify across the world, air conditioning has taken center stage. For better or…
Sovereignty in the digital world
Talking about sovereignty and data protectionism in the digital world in the context of Pakistan may seem a little out of place since the country does not have data protection…
It’s a biased world
Gender bias is a pervasive problem worldwide and Pakistan is no exception. Gender biased social norms can be defined as ‘the undervaluation of women’s capabilities and rights in society.’ This…
Pakistan’s place in a changing world
It’s a shame that Pakistan is going down the gutter just when a changing, increasingly multipolar world is triggering a “battle of offers” between big powers as they rush to…
