The Japanese government officially nominated academic economist Kazuo Ueda as the next central bank governor on February 14. This unexpected decision also makes the direction of the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) monetary policy, which has been under market scrutiny, to be even more difficult to grasp. On the same day, the yen edged higher against the dollar. Most Japanese stock […]

Recently a new wave of deadly acts of terrorism in Afghanistan, and from Afghanistan into Pakistan, has erupted again. To understand its raison d’être in general and the focus of its violence on Pakistan and Afghanistan a critical review of the major political upheaval in Pakistan continuing since about a year now is essential. Critical ReviewIt was in the beginning […]

Hitherto, till Mr Shinzo Abe became Japan’s Prime Minister for a second term, India-Japan relations were confined to economic cooperation on bilateral issues. Given the bonhomie between the two Prime Ministers, the spurred relations to reach deeper on the geopolitical level and to downplay China’s global influence. Many political and economic analysts observed the old approach of India-Japan relations in […]

Recently, Lufax, an internet finance marketplace headquartered in Shanghai, officially applied for listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and achieved dual listing of US stocks and Hong Kong stocks by way of introduction. Judging from the reason for Lufax’s “return” to Hong Kong stocks, the market generally believes that it is to avoid the geopolitical risk of “financial decoupling” […]

Iran’s President Raisi made a high-profile tour to China and received an official welcome from his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on 14 February. This is the first state visit by an Iranian president to China in 20 years. As part of a three-day visit, high-ranking delegations of Tehran and Beijing signed 20 agreements to further boost mutual cooperation in different […]

Pakistan witnessed a gruesome suicide bombing in a mosque on 30 January 2023 in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Over 100 people were killed and more than 220 wounded. Omar Mukaram Khorasani, the head of the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.1 The TTP denied the claim and insisted that it does not […]

If we are talking about geopolitics, we must apply an integrated and complex approach that combines power (primarily hard power – military strength and economic) and a certain view on the territory issues. The key concepts in geopolitics are Land Power, Sea Power and Manpower. The first two categories relate to geographical determinism and people are more likely to adjust […]

In the world of international affairs, there are no permanent allies or adversaries; rather, only interests are paramount. This guideline is followed by every nation state in the globe, and Pakistan is no exception. The foreign policy direction of Pakistan has always been vibrant. As the globe moves from uni-polarity to multi-polarity, Pakistan must adjust its foreign policy priorities to […]

In the backdrop of US invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan has been embroiled in countering an insurgency in its tribal areas. The War on terrorism (WOT) was initiated in Afghanistan, and its fallout was ensued with the creation of insurgent groups. These insurgents in their attempt to profit from the war began to become mercenaries for hire. By capitalizing on the […]

At least two soldiers and two militants have been killed in an attack by a group of armed men on the central police station in Karachi, Pakistan. Karachi police say that in addition to the dead, six rangers and three policemen were injured and transferred to the hospital for treatment. Murtaza Wahab, a government adviser, confirmed that police and paramilitary […]