Turkey’s Erdogan decade
Not long ago, Turkey was a security state where the establishment controlled policy through a shadow government. A clandestine network of military officers and their civilian proxies exercised utmost ‘legitimacy’…
Thoughts on the way forward
Militancy is tearing away at the vitals of Pakistan, defacing it. Further procrastination in attending to it cannot be. There are just two options. We can either challenge the militants…
Swat operation:
Where has Fazalullah gone? This is the question everybody asks when militancy in Swat is discussed. Many businessmen and traders are still reluctant to go back to their homes in…
War on terror
Does not everyone say that war alone is not the solution to the problem of militancy or terrorism, and that a two- or multi-pronged effort is required to effectively deal…
China factor in Afghanistan
The signing of the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership last week reaffirmed the establishment’s narratives about Pakistan’s real concerns across its western border: it’s not about militancy or instability, but about Indian…
Labour policy and rights
Militancy in Pakistan has overshadowed the concerns and rights of the poor. However, general discontent amongst most segments of the population continues to grow while the state seeks military solutions…
Waiting for Malala to grow up
When the state and the political elite of the country cannot be on the same page even on how best to deal with an existential threat to it, is there…
The strategic agenda
The present flows from the past, and the future will emerge from the present. Syria’s sectarian war: The headline issue today and in the near future is likely to be…
Poverty and extremism
Since the reasons behind the rise of militancy are multifarious, an analysis utilizing any single variable would be misleading. Poverty levels tend to decrease in inverse proportion to land holdings.…
Reinventing an alternative
Over the last decade or so, the challenges posed by religious fundamentalism and militancy have produced a wide variety of reactions within the Pakistani polity. The spectrum and form of…
