One nation
The ongoing visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by a delegation of Turkish businessmen, is very significant in the context of the regional and global scenario. The visit…
Why has Turkey’s currency fallen so sharply?
Turkey's lira has bled value against the dollar, leaving the country under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan facing its most serious economic challenge since a financial crisis in 2001. The crash…
The ME conundrum
I am not the Oracle of Delphi. Nor am I Mehwish Hayat who tweets on every subject. Perhaps if she were to show more skin, people might take note. The…
The art of diplomacy
Among Muslim countries, Turkey and Malaysia have achieved the kind of economic success that would be the envy of all others. They have set standards and benchmarks for all other…
An ambush of democracy?
Bertrand Russell famously said in ‘A History of Western Philosophy’ that “in all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you…
On sovereignty
Pakistan was hit by a diplomatic embarrassment when Prime Minister Imran Khan decided not to attend the Kuala Lumpur summit, presumably because of Saudi pressure. It may be noted that…
The China ‘model’
EVERY few months or so, the demand for a ‘presidential system’ of government in Pakistan makes an appearance on various social media sites. This happens most prominently on Twitter, where…
Arbitration challenge
How does Pakistan perform in international courts of justice? The answer is: it doesn’t perform well. At least two cases strongly reflect successive Pakistani governments’ approach to global litigation. The…
Mistake in Syria
US President Donald Trump announced that the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been killed in a clandestine operation…
Trump walks away from Syria – and Republican allies
Donald Trump's abrupt reversal of policy in Syria plunged his presidency into even deeper isolation Monday, right when the ex-real estate tycoon needs all the allies he can get to…
