For more than six decades, the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960 between Pakistan and India, remained as one of the most enduring transboundary water-sharing agreements in the world. Despite multiple wars, political crises, and prolonged periods of bilateral hostility, the treaty largely continued to govern the allocation and management of the waters of the Indus Basin
Pakistan’s annual budget is more than a fiscal document; it is a reflection of the country’s structural economic constraints, political choices, and shifting development priorities. The tension between fiscal survival and meaningful economic reform has become increasingly pronounced amid rising debt servicing obligations, limited fiscal space, and recurring dependence on external financing. In this context, budget-making often appears reactive—focused on stabilisation and compliance with short-term macroeconomic targets—rather than transformative, aimed at broad-based productivity, institutional reform, and sustainable growth.
The world is witnessing the collapse of the Western order, if not the emergence of an alternative one. The idea of ‘West’ as against the rest is still at the root of contemporary understanding of world politics. Georgios Varouxakis, a remarkable voice on Modernity and Nationalism, has provided the historical origins and modern connotations attached with the idea of ‘West’. In his book ‘The West: The History of an Idea’, Varouxakis has argued that the West is not an eternal entity, rather it is a modern socio-political construct that emerged in the political philosophy of the early 19th century and evolved with the passage of time. The book provides an in-depth historical analysis of the idea to determine the roots of its modern interpretation.
Space has emerged as a distinct domain of warfare alongside land, sea, air, and cyber. Developed countries like the United States, Russia, and China possess offensive and support capabilities in space. In the shadowed expanse of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where satellites operate like silent custodians, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine transformed the nature of modern conflict. As Russian troops marched forward, the commercial satellites like Maxar and Planet, which are operated by Western firms, captured high-resolution imagery of Russian troops, providing real-time intelligence to Ukrainian commanders, unlike ever before.
All views and opinions expressed or implied are those of the authors/speakers/internal and external scholars and should not be construed as carrying the official sanction of CASS.