Blogs
‘Decolonizing’ higher education in Pakistan: If not now, when?
A body of discourse is emerging on the practice of ‘decolonization’ within education and the larger social sciences. Putting it plainly, decolonization means “the undoing of colonialism.”1 Decolonization signifies a range of positions that argue that despite former...
“The rest of the world – and you know this very well, Federica – is not exactly a garden”: The West, the ‘Rest’ and the Tale of Forgotten Colonialism
Antique photograph of the British Empire: Annexation of the territory of the king of AdoBeginning with uncivilized and barbarians and then moving to failed states; fragile states; failing states; and rogues states, Ladies and gentlemen we have now arrived to the...
The Use of Human Shields in Contemporary Armed Conflicts
The 21st century has brought about multiple problems for democracies engaged in armed conflicts. One such major problem that has caught the attention of international humanitarian watchdogs is the use of civilians as human shields during hostilities. Despite existing...
Re-Thinking FATF and its Widening Mandate
The 21st-century interstate conflict has taken a shift from conventional kinetic warfare towards other means, one being the use of legal warfare, to achieve similar strategic state interests. The international legal establishment influenced by global powers has taken...
Russia-Ukraine War from a Global South Perspective: Unveiling Western Hypocrisy
I am writing to draw attention to the Western hypocrisy that is in full display following the developments taking place in Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "military operation" in eastern Ukraine in a televised speech.1 The...
Security Discourses in Pakistan: Exploring the Marginalization of Non-Traditional Security in Pakistani Think Tanks
In the security discourse of Pakistan, the idea of non-traditional security has slowly but gradually gained traction. Even though the discussions on non-traditional security issues were not wholly absent before, it is the present government of Pakistan, led by Prime...
Introducing Behavioral Economics to Post-Conflict Development in Pakistan
The practice of Nudging is a data-driven and experimental approach gaining ground around the world as a public policy tool. UK has led a global trend to establish a behavioral insights unit followed by various governments, public institutions and international...