Apocalypse when?
OBSERVERS of the current tensions between Moscow and Washington, amid veiled threats of nuclear warfare and warnings of massive retaliation, are divided over whether the present predicament is less dire…
The pear-shaped curve
THE plan seems to be unravelling. That bailout, whether $25 billion or some other figure, that we were told is ‘there for the taking’ is now in doubt. War is…
Dangerous arena
THE withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan had been widely anticipated, with hopes of improved security and peace to follow. Such hopes were quickly dashed. Instead, we saw the US…
Cities left behind
EVERY year, thousands of tourists visit the ruins of the Italian city of Pompeii. This city, which sits at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, was destroyed by a volcanic eruption…
Afghan refugees & international law
AFGHAN refugees came to Pakistan more than four decades ago and since then Pakistan has played the role of an admirable host in every possible way. However, before further continuing…
Reviewing CT strategy
THERE was nothing in the communiqué issued after the latest National Security Committee meeting that we have not heard before. Phrases like ‘zero tolerance for terrorism’ and ‘violence will be dealt with,…
Mitigating miseries
LAST month, in a report furnished before the Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit bench, the province’s chief secretary admitted the government’s failure in handling the 2022 flood disaster, saying “our…
Forestry and carbon offsets
THANKS to the use of fossil fuels, coal, crude and natural gas over the past few centuries, the world has seen a massive release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.…
Population and climate
GROWING inequality and pervasive poverty further lock countries into the cycle of higher population growth rates and increasing climate vulnerabilities. Some recent studies have inverted this proposition: without reducing social…
The environmental journey
PAKISTAN’s policy since inception has been to fast-track economic growth, even if it entails deterioration of the natural environment. Our policymakers seem to have internalised a myth: the country has…
