Democracy in name?
THE subject of democracy is a most confused and confusing debate, where it is easy to confuse form with substance, concept with practice and illusion with reality. The fundamental concept…
Genesis of global populism
The concept of ‘illiberal democracy’ introduced by a US scholar, Fareed Zakaria, has enjoyed a notable currency. While Zakaria defined this concept negatively, considering it as a valid description for…
March for freedom
FREEDOM is an extremely powerful idea, glorified by those who want it, reviled by those who want to keep status quo intact. We Pakistanis have a particular affinity with the…
Long-term loyalty
As the dust settles, pundits, political operatives and party insiders are already swarming to tell the story of what really happened in 2020. They’ll zero in on the smallest margins,…
The American left rises
The energy was electrifying as US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders took the stage in front of 26,000 people in New York this fall. Armed with fresh endorsements from progressive House…
The dark side
Scandinavians have it all. Universal public healthcare and education that is the envy of the world. Reasonable working hours with plenty of paid vacation. They have some of the highest…
Student awakening
WHEN campuses are devoid of student activism it spells the decline of a nation. This observation, attributed to Nelson Mandela, is so true for Pakistan. The legacy of a military…
Is global ‘populism’ on the rise? – I
Recently, the concept of 'illiberal democracy', introduced by Fareed Zakaria has enjoyed a notable currency. While Zakaria defined this concept negatively, considering it as valid description for countries lacking strong…
The death of resistance
WITHIN a matter of a few days, a number of events have taken place which reaffirm the truth that most forms of progressive movements and politics, or expressions of resistance,…
Jang and literature
It would not be an overstatement to say that daily ‘Jang’ has influenced at least three generations of Urdu readers in the Subcontinent. Though at the time of Independence, there…
