ViewsWeek Views from around the world
John Blaxland recently acknowledged that return to military rule in Myanmar is becoming an increasingly marginal (but not impossible) prospect. The expected international and domestic retaliatory actions to a return to military rule in Myanmar are a major deterrent, as they could potentially derail Myanmar’s political stability, economic development and threaten important cease-fires. This, combined with an entrenched position in the …
September, 2013
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26 September
Pakistan’s Dismal Education Prospects
The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child recently published a report noting that Pakistan has the world’s second-largest number of children out of school, while in April 2012 UNICEF indicated that some 20 million Pakistani children, including an estimated 7.3 million of primary school age, are not in school. This phenomenon is one of the by-products …
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25 September
Thousands of Libyans in Militia Prisons
TRIPOLI: Thousands of people in Libya remain locked up in militia prisons, outside of state control, more than two years after the revolution, according to a new UN report presented to the Security Council. The report says many are suffering torture and mistreatment and calls the situation “unacceptable”. “We have a big problem. But it is a problem we are trying …
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25 September
India’s Food Disaster Waiting to Happen
UPA2 regime’s flagship program on the ‘right to food’ is slated to create more problems than it will solve, once it kicks off across the country. A creaky public distribution system and the weak economy will not be able to sustain the scheme In 2009, the UPA2 Government led by the Indian National Congress promised this country pro-people policies — …
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24 September
Post-2014 Afghanistan
Pakistan’s pivot to Central Asia Without doubt, all major stakeholders are now worried about the post 2014 Afghanistan. As the date of US withdrawal approaches quickly, many of the variables connected to the smooth transition are far from resolved. Meanwhile, the attention of western nations is increasingly diverted towards the affairs of Syria and Iran. Some of the interconnected factors …
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24 September
How Much Would A US Government Shutdown Cost?
This article was published by the Center for American Progress Action. With congressional conservatives poised to force a government shutdown at the end of the month over the three-year-old Affordable Care Act, economists are trying to tally up what shuttering the government would cost the country. Estimates vary widely, and the totals would depend on how long a shutdown …
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23 September
Pakistani, Afghan Media Doubt Baradar’s Impact on Peace
The release of former Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar by Pakistan may have heightened the expectations of peace in Islamabad and Kabul. But the news media in the two countries is showing more skepticism than optimism. Pakistan released the Mullah, in his 40s, on Saturday, September 21, on the eve of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the United …
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23 September
Ukraine Becomes China’s Largest Farmer in 3m Hectare Deal
China will plough billions of yuan into farmland in Ukraine that will eventually become its biggest overseas agricultural project. The move is a significant step in China’s recent efforts to encourage domestic companies to farm overseas as China’s food demand grows in pace with urbanization. Under the 50-year plan, Ukraine will initially provide China with at least 100,000 hectares – …
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22 September
Bangladesh’s Secret Weapon Against Extremism
Since the late 1990s, Bangladesh has witnessed an increase in militancy and violent extremism that has exposed women to greater threats than before. Such kinds of extremism prevent women from being emancipated economically and socially. In Bangladesh, a number of Islamist extremist groups believe women should not have a prominent role in society. Earlier this year, Hefazat (-e-Islam, a radical …
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22 September
Pakistan: And Extremism Spread, Not That Silently!
Film: Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters) Genre: Drama Written and directed by Sabiha Sumar This film is set in a Pakistani village, which is shown as a microcosm of the pangs of separation that Sikh families had to bear when India was divided in 1947 to create Pakistan as a separate Muslim country in South Asia. This is also the …
