Misplaced pessimism
Eleven months before the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan ended the combined brains of the US intelligence community were asked to guess what would happen in the country. “We judge…
A witches’ brew
Karachi’s bloodletting has an eerie pattern. Operation or no operation, there is always a modest drop in the day-to-day killings and sometimes even a brief period of lull. But then…
Golem
In Jewish myth, a golem is a monster made of clay. Legend has it that a rabbi fashioned one from the fresh soil of a riverbank to protect his people…
The spin-off of the Iran nuclear deal
The interim nuclear deal agreed between Iran and the P5+1 in Geneva a week ago has the potential to become a watershed of historic proportions. It could end not only…
Syria conflict strains US-Saudi ties
US efforts to pursue a peaceful solution to the Syrian civil war have strained relations with Saudi Arabia, which favours military intervention or at least a commitment to arm rebels…
Roads and rulers
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif thinks big especially when it comes to construction works and notably road-building. His two previous tenures in government have left behind mega road projects, including the…
Decade of lost growth
Pakistan’s growth performance over the last five years (2008/09-2012/13) has been dismal at best. Economic growth has averaged 2.9 percent per annum compared with 6.6 percent per annum during the…
The new governance
Are earnest, well-meaning people no shortage of this breed here – still missing the trick? When this government wants to do something it goes ahead and does it. Nearly five…
The Kerry visit
The oft-postponed visit by Secretary John Kerry had been eagerly awaited in Islamabad. According to the pre-arrival briefing provided by State Department officials to the press team which was accompanying…
Tehran’s change of guard
Post-revolutionary Iran’s 11th presidential election, scheduled for June 14, will be watched around the world for a variety of reasons. Among these is the fact that Iran is one of…
