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Since independence, Pakistan has not been able to develop a self-sustaining economy. Realising how adversely it has affected its people and compromised national sovereignty the PTI government has taken the right policy decision of giving economy the highest priority. Dependence on the IMF, World Bank and other global and regional monetary institutions for indefinite periods and awaiting desperately for their approval to release the periodic tranches make a mockery of Pakistan being a nuclear power… Read More »National Security Policy — a perspective -The Express Tribune

Sergey Savchuk If anyone had hopes that stormy 2021 would at least at the end slow down in terms of breaking geopolitical and market axioms, then they were in vain. In the new year, mankind enters under the mournful crackle of rules that have been diligently imposed over the previous decades.European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said that the European Union will begin to implement a set of measures in the coming days to… Read More »America and China are ready to destroy the world market -The Frontier Post

Ensuring the rule of law is important for any country in the modern world. The creation and implementation of equitable laws provides the foundation of justice and the provision of adequate opportunities in turn enabling accountability and protection of human rights. Providing rule of law and justice to all were major promises made by the present government in Pakistan when it was trying to win the last elections. It should thus be a matter of… Read More »Ranking countries based on rule of law -Express Tribune

THE Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution of the WHO declared B.1.1.529 a variant of concern on Nov 26, 2021, and named it Omicron. As of Dec 22, 2021, the virus had been found in 110 countries and as I write this article the variant is now circulating around the globe. It spreads faster than any other known variant of Covid-19. The doubling time of the Delta variant was up to two weeks whereas that of Omicron… Read More »Omicron: the gathering clouds -DAWN

Dmitry Belyaev Last week, Turkish, and after them so-me Russian media wrote about the threat of a clash between the military of Turkey and Russia. Such a development of events is allegedly possible if the tension in the southeast of Ukraine goes into a hot phase. Since Turkey is a NATO country, this scenario is theoretically permissible. However, the real situation is much more complicated. Ankara and Moscow have long built exclusive relations and learned… Read More »The role of the mediator (Foreign Affairs)-The Frontier Post

Jina Kim In South Korea, presidential election fever is heating up. Key candidates from the conservative People Power Party and the liberal Democratic Party of Korea are presenting their blueprints for the future of South Korea’s security and defence.Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, vo-ws to swiftly realise the tra-nsition to operational control (OPCON) agreed to by South Korea and the United States, thereby consolidating the alliance relationsh-ip. At the meeting with US… Read More »The future of South Korea’s defence transition -The Frontier Post

On Dec 21, 2021, the EU announced setting up priority areas for Multiannual Indicative Programmes (MIPs) of Global Europe. According to official information source, the financial allocation for 2021-24 (country level) and for 2021-27 (regional level) will be almost €26.3 billion. The beauty and the success of EU social initiatives is a philosophy of sustainability and continuity in supporting a region or the country for getting tangible results at the grassroots level. My experience of… Read More »MIPs: can we learn from Nepal and Bangladesh? -Express Tribune

GLOBAL climate targets will not change if Pakistan commits to net zero emissions. But Pakistan’s economic growth may get a boost that present misplaced policies cannot deliver. Unless Pakistan redirects its energy investments, the energy crisis, circular debt and urban pollution will keep worsening. Renewable energy (RE) can bring down the cost of development remarkably, reduce pressure on foreign exchange, strengthen outreach to underserved communities, and reduce emissions for cleaner air in the cities. Pakistan’s… Read More »Cheap and clean energy -DAWN

The needs of the country have to be met through indigenous resources. Industrialisation has to be prioritisation combined with planned implementation—starting with the satisfaction of needs followed by import substitution and then finally exports. The priorities have to be clear. Most Asian Tigers that emerged followed this approach, with the land of the pure being an exception. China went into isolation to build from the ground up with massive efforts for human development. Once self-reliance… Read More »Industrialisation to meet national needs -The Nation