By S. Mushfiq Murshed[1] On 21 August 2013 the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad attacked his own citizens in Ghouta through rockets containing Sarin, a nerve agent. It is estimated that well over 1000 people perished in this attack. Global indignation followed. Under threat of military action from the United States, the Syrian regime leaned on […]
Chemical and Biological Weapons Read More »
Political realism and its emphasis on power has been a prominent international relations theory since Thucydides (c. 460 B.C – c. 400 B.C.). Principles of equality and justice, on many occasions, can be supplanted by national interest and the pursuit of power within the realm of realism. Irrespective of the theoretical lens used to interpret
Pakistan and the New World Order Read More »
S. Mushfiq Murshed* *The author is the editor of Criterion Quarterly. Some political theorists suggest that populism is an ideology whereas others consider it as a political strategy or a means to an end — the end being to acquire power. In the context of Pakistan, most political parties, when out of power, tend to
Populism and Populist Politics in Pakistan Read More »
by S. Mushfiq Murshed On 6 September 1995, a mob of a few thousand, “instigated by the ruling Junta”—the Rabbani regime who had lost its legitimacy—set ablaze and ransacked the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul. The ambassador, defence attaché, other diplomats and embassy personnel were injured and a sanitary worker, mistaken for the ambassador, was killed.
A historical perspective on engaging with the Taliban Read More »
by S. Mushfiq Murshed Recent numbers indicate that in at least 185 countries hit by COVID-19 there have been over 1.8 million people infected and more than 113,000 deaths. These numbers would have drastically increased by the time this article is online. Flattening the curve, therefore, remains the primary global objective for 2020. While the
COVID-19: A Global Response Needed to Counter a Global Menace Read More »
by S. Mushfiq Murshed Facts & Forecasts Foreign remittances sent by overseas Pakistani’s had grown, over the years (“at an annual rate of nearly 9%” since 2012 – Moody’s), to become one of the country’s economic lifelines. In the last fiscal year (2018/19) Pakistan received $21.841 billion1 in foreign remittances from overseas Pakistanis, whereas the total
COVID-19: Declining Remittances, Repatriation, Unemployment and a possible Silver Lining Read More »
by S. Mushfiq Murshed Nations, Institutions, businesses, communities and individuals, alike, have benefitted from the digital age. An entities online presence is fast-shifting from an option to a necessity. This reliance has a flipside as well. Digital users are constantly under threat from the malicious online activities of cyber criminals. Anti virus and firewall options
Cybercrimes & Criminals: The North Korean Link Read More »
By: S. Mushfiq Murshed The 2,400 km-long border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is treacherously porous. Conflict has ragged in Afghanistan for the pat 36 years starting from the Soviet occupation of the country in 1979. Peace did not return after the Soviet withdrawal under the Geneva Accords of 14 April 1988, and, as a consequence,
Fencing Borders The Pak-Afghan Paradigm Read More »
