Opinion Articles Archives

Society

Redesign

At the Margalla Dialogue 2023, I took the opportunity during my remarks to posit the term “redesign” as a discursive element that should inform our engagement with society. This differs from the standard refrain of “reform” that many economists and policy pundits employ. Reform is a standard-issue term that is useful insofar as it points to reshaping or remedying existing deficiencies, and it is also a term that duly denotes criticism of existing failures.
787 views

Dr Usman W. Chohan November 23, 2023

Aerospace

Starry-Eyed Youth

A recent large-scale space-related tournament known as the NASA 2023 Space Apps Challenge took place amid great fanfare around the world, and what was most exciting about the space-technology competition for me was the significant contingent of youthful teams from Pakistan. Their enthusiasm for participating in the global tournament, and for solving complex spatial challenges set out by NASA, brimmed with promise and gave a unique insight into the vast potential for scientific engagement by Pakistan’s youth.
685 views

Dr Usman W. Chohan November 20, 2023

Emerging technologies

Balancing Pakistan’s National Security and LAWS: Need for a Pragmatic Approach

Robust advancements within conventional weapons technology and amalgamation with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have led to the development of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), also known as ‘Killer Robots.’ Distinct from other conventional weapons, they integrate the element of autonomy in their critical functions. LAWS autonomously perform critical tasks such as navigation, identification, tracking, and targeting using sensors and algorithms, without human control.
1035 views

Moiz Khan November 16, 2023

Afghanistan

Homeward to Afghanistan

If one were to take a look at social media such as Twitter (X), one might get the impression that Pakistanis are somewhat opposed to the repatriation of the Afghan migrants, but is this really true? A snap poll conducted by Gallup, an independent survey body, gives much weight to the contrary, with more than 84% of Pakistanis polled stating that they are vigorously in favor of the repatriation of Afghans back to their country.
297 views

Dr Usman W. Chohan November 15, 2023

Warfare

Countering Information Warfare in the Cognitive Domain

Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, had long ago highlighted the significance of information warfare when he said, ‘all warfare is deception’. The term ‘Information Warfare’ entered military lexicon in the late ’70s, yet the strategy is as old as warfare itself. It has, however, continued to evolve with technological advancements.
490 views

Air Marshal M. Ashfaque Arain(Retd) November 13, 2023

International Relations

Is the US still Vulnerable to Global Oil Price Shocks?

On 19th October, 1973, immediately following the Nixon administration’s affirmation of a USD 2.2 billion military aid package to Israel in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, the Arab states responded by imposing an oil embargo on nations supportive of Israel. The resultant oil price shock was so grave that in the United States, gasoline prices increased by up to 40 percent in a matter of months, leading to rationing of fuel resources, the formation of hours-long lines at gas stations across the country, and polarisation of politics at home.

130 views

Zahra Niazi November 10, 2023

Palestine

Paradox of Victory: Weighing the Strategic Costs of Tactical Surprise in Gaza

It is a genocide by all definitions. As of 6th November, Reuters, New York Times, AP News and New Arab news website have quoted the Ministry of Health in Gaza. According to these sources, a total of 10,022 Palestinians, including 4800 children and 2550 women have been killed and 25,408 wounded by the Israel’s indiscriminate aerial bombardment of Gaza. In contrast, Israeli death toll stands at 1400.
72 views

Air Vice Marshal Syed Najam ul Asar November 10, 2023

Economic Affairs & National Development

India’s Turn At the FATF

The saga of Pakistan and the FATF is one that I have written about extensively, having been an ardent contributor and advocate for the strategy that led to the country’s ultimately successful exit from the dreaded gray-list. The crux of that strategy involved a twofold approach: (1) improving financial oversight, legal frameworks, and institutional coordination for the intrinsic benefit to the financial regime, but also (2) calling out the deeply-politicized and corrupt agenda of the FATF as a transboundary body run amok. This dual-approach yielded excellent results for Pakistan, and incidentally, the agent-provocateur of that tussle with the FATF is now up for a similar review.
809 views

Dr Usman W. Chohan November 7, 2023

Palestine

Israel-Palestine Conflict in an Age of Information and Disinformation

Israel-Palestine conflict has been the lynchpin of Middle Eastern dynamics for more than several decades. While tensions never truly subsided between the warring sides, the protracted conflict has often taken a back seat, overshadowed by other global crises such as the invasion of Crimea, onset of the Pandemic, and the Russian-Ukraine war, etc. However, the recent heartbreaking hostilities that have transpired since 7th October have made it global headline news.
380 views

Shaza Arif November 6, 2023

India

BJP’s Anti-Pakistan Electioneering: An Old Playbook in a New Election

With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner in 2024, the debate around Indian electoral dynamics has attracted significant discourse. According to some estimates, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to win the elections for a third consecutive term. However, the concerning matter is that BJP’s election campaign which should ideally be based on a vision of India’s future outlook; unfortunately revolves around exploiting anti-Pakistan sentiments.
936 views

Haris Bilal Malik November 3, 2023

Redesign

Starry-Eyed Youth

Balancing Pakistan’s National Security and LAWS: Need for a Pragmatic Approach

Homeward to Afghanistan

Countering Information Warfare in the Cognitive Domain

Is the US still Vulnerable to Global Oil Price Shocks?

Paradox of Victory: Weighing the Strategic Costs of Tactical Surprise in Gaza

India’s Turn At the FATF

Israel-Palestine Conflict in an Age of Information and Disinformation

BJP’s Anti-Pakistan Electioneering: An Old Playbook in a New Election

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