The enemy within
Few incidents of terrorism have caused such large-scale outpouring of grief, anger and shame as the massacre in the Peshawar church last Sunday. But will this outrage awaken the Pakistani…
Germany’s SPD in turmoil as it plots its future
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's bid to lure the centre-left Social Democrats into a new grand coalition government has plunged the SPD into turmoil that ultimately could imperil the 150-year-old party's…
Re-elected Merkel expected to stick to euro discipline
Germany will remain the champion of budget discipline in Europe, as re-elected chancellor Angela Merkel is likely to soften her stance only marginally if she enters into a grand coalition…
The price of hyper-intervention
The Syrian crisis dominated debate at an international conference last week in Stockholm that reviewed a range of global strategic issues. Organised by the London-based Institute of Strategic Studies, the…
The balance of payments outlook
In response to questions by journalists about the costs and benefits of entering into a new loan arrangement with the IMF, the finance minister rightly pointed out that the country…
The haze of talks
It is heartening to know that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has told the National Assembly on September 19 that there won’t be any change “in the government’s position…
Frankenstein moment
If the all-party conference was expected to clear the air about Pakistan’s stance on terrorism, it seemed to have left it murkier. The talks were over in less than a…
Nawaz Sharif goes to New York
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif travels to New York this week. He will not be alone in making this annual autumn pilgrimage of heads of state to the United Nations. Amongst…
German vote could decide fate of fiscal austerity in Europe
Germans go to the polls September 22 in an election that could decide the future of Europe's efforts to shore up the euro through a tough round of fiscal austerity.…
Kashmir and music diplomacy
What has Beethoven got to do with Kashmir, or Kashmir with Beethoven, for that matter? A couple of months ago, the question would have drawn a blank look from the…
