Emerging technologies

‘Made in China 2025’ : Blueprint for Future Industries

The foundation of a nation’s progress lies in its robust industrial sector, shaping its economic vitality and strategic influence. China, having a formidable industrial base, has secured a prominent global standing across diverse sectors. Its ‘Made in China’ (MIC) 2025 project marks a paradigm shift with a primary focus on becoming a global leader in high-tech industries through a dual-pronged approach.
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Emerging technologies

Role of Big Data in the Predictive Modelling of Conflicts

Big Data is an integral domain of emerging technologies, with one of its applications being predictive modelling of future events. It consists of large volumes of data generated from multiple sources, being subjected to real-time processing and analysis through advanced systems such as Artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, predictive modelling is a statistical technique that taps into historical and current data to predict future outcomes.
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Nuclear

Challenges for Iran Nuclear Deal’s Revival and its Likely Impact on the Global Non-Proliferation Regime 

The revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal, is a daunting test of diplomacy, especially for the Biden Administration as well as Iran’s clerical regime. Back in 2015, this Deal faced a chorus of criticism from detractors who described it as having sunset clauses, which merely postpone Iran’s development of nuclear arsenal.
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Peace and Conflict

Boycotts in Flux: Trends & Challenges of Pro-Palestinian Consumer Campaigns

In the wake of Israel’s ongoing genocidal aggression in Gaza, Pakistanis have rallied in solidarity with the Palestinians in large numbers through street demonstrations, digital activism, and by responding to the calls for a boycott of products belonging to companies complicit in Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights.
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Economic Affairs & National Development

Usman W. Chohan, Public Value and the Post-Pandemic Society

In the book Public Value and the Post-Pandemic Society, author Dr Usman W. Chohan discusses the ‘post-pandemic’ era through the prism of Public Value (PV) scholarship. The first section of the book, titled ‘Changes and Transitions,’ examines the notions of value transition and value stability in the context of the post-COVID era and discusses the two most salient manifestations of challenges to the post-pandemic society, including stagflation and the great resignation.
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Emerging technologies

Project AVATAR: AI Future of Border Security?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be on the cusp of automating border security protocols and customs operations. The National Centre for Border Security and Immigration at the University of Arizona has developed an AI prototype called the ‘Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real Time’ (AVATAR). Funded by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it has been designed on the principles of Machine Learning (ML), computer vision, and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
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Emerging technologies

Oppressive Automaton: Israel’s AI-Enabled Warfare

As militaries around the world contemplate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in warfare, the onslaught of Israel in the Gaza Strip offers an important point of reflection. This article explores the AI system called ‘Gospel’ or ‘Habsorah’, pioneered by Unit 8200 – an Intelligence Corps Unit – of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
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Economic Affairs & National Development

Making Pakistan’s Economic Recovery Sustainable

2023 began on a dismal note for Pakistan’s economy, as foreign exchange reserves were fast-depleting, remittances and exports were declining, the rupee was depreciating, industrial production was decreasing, and inflation surged – resulting from a confluence of multiple internal and external factors. In the months leading up to June, newspaper and media headlines continued to warn that the country’s economic crisis could soon morph into a sovereign default without a bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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