Chinese and Soviet reform in the 1980s – Part II
In the meantime, in the Soviet Union, Brezhnev died in 1982 and was replaced by another old man and the head of the KGB, the Soviet intelligence agency, Yuri Andropov…
Chinese and Soviet reform in the 1980s: Part – I
As 2019 is coming to a close, looking back at two important personalities who died this year – Li Peng and Anatoly Lukyanov – here are some thoughts on Chinese…
Soviet surrender
The main news bulletin in the world’s largest country began on an extraordinary note 25 years ago today. “Good evening,” the anchor said. “This is the news. The USSR is…
Is Trump’s proposal for peace realistic?
A torrent of criticism has been unleashed against American President Donald Trump after his alleged ‘bullying tactics’ employed against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was accorded a warm welcome in…
The Kurd struggle
The Kurds are a people divided between four countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. This reflects the fact that state boundaries were drawn in many parts of the world depending…
Russia-Ukraine war: origins and endgame
Three years after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the advent of Donald Trump into power in the US has upset the applecart for Volodymyr Zelensky and hints at a…
End of the American century?
Everyone is feeling the turbulence in world affairs, with the change of guard at the White House making headlines. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has stopped funding…
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…
Discussing South Asian peace: Part — III
The Fourth Joint Convention of the Pak-India Peace Forum selected Peshawar as its host to continue its journey for peace and democracy. It took place in November 1998 in Peshawar…
Friends or foes? A transatlantic rift
The alacrity with which American President Donald Trump is trying to secure peace in war-ravaged Ukraine despite Europe’s reservations indicates that Washington is indifferent to the sensitivities of the continent.…
