Have dictators achieved more?
The dismal situation today is feeding nostalgia for Musharraf. Was he worth it? Not for democracy-idealists like me! However, since many can tolerate dictatorships if they deliver, I consider this…
Protests against dictators
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani recently made a curious statement. He said the people of Pakistan had tolerated several dictators and wondered why they would not bear with a government…
Democracy and dictatorship
Our rulers still firmly believe that “the worst democracy is better than the best dictatorship.” But ground realities are different. There have been examples in recent times where dictators have…
Failure of dictatorship & democracy
HOW would you feel if you lived in a poor neighbourhood and your neighbours started getting rich while you became poorer? Angry, envious, depressed, suspicious? Pakistanis have experienced these emotions…
Exorcising dictators’ ghosts
Where do dictators go when their time’s up? Some get executed; such as the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu who, along with his wife, was shot dead by a firing squad…
Chief justice’s challenges
“Great judges succeed most when they are praised not so much for the legal soundness of their work, but for the sit-up-and-take-notice boldness of their interventions”. — Allan Hutchinson, author “ASIF,…
Indonesia’s ‘smooth’ polls a beacon in sea of strongmen
Indonesia pulled off a complex yet peaceful election across its vast - and ethnically diverse - island territory this week, cementing its place as a democratic beacon in a sea…
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…
Uncorking the bottled peace
OF the many proposals made over the years to give this much or that much of occupied Palestine back to the Palestinians, two remain noteworthy. The 1981 Saudi-led Fahd Plan…
Discussing South Asian peace: Part – I
The Black Hole is a community centre in Islamabad that holds engaging discussions, conducts informative sessions, and offers entertaining performances nearly every day. Established in March 2022, it will soon…
