Countries that once exercised dominance over global affairs find it difficult to adjust to the reality that they are no longer the top contender. This is what the US is currently going through: inability to admit that other powers have emerged to knock it off its stool.
The bloc of countries that have formed BRICS pack a powerful economic punch. More countries are lining up to join the group whose collective economic and political clout is likely to soon eclipse the US dollar
The army in Pakistan is an enormously expensive institution. It consumes more than 50 per cent of the country’s budget countless other resources. The army, however, has failed to fulfill its primary function of defending the country’s borders. Can Pakistan afford such an army?
While there may be a civilian regime by name in Pakistan, the reality is that the country is under de facto martial law. No policy can be implemented without the military’s approval. Politicians carry the negative fallout of ill-conceived policies while the army is cushioned from opprobrium.
The Anthrax scare that followed on the heels of the 911 attacks was a false flag operation that was soon exposed but not before it had created enough hysteria against Muslims in the US.
The manner in which LGBTQ agenda is being pushed down the throats of people, especially young children has assumed alarming proportions. Parents are being shut out from any discussion but finally parents seem to have had enough and they are fighting back.
Few countries are willing to take America's charm offensive seriously. They see it as fake and are not prepared to defer to US demands anymore. Washington also no longer commands respect because it has little or nothing to offer to the rest of the world.
The security of the Persian Gulf is the responsibility of regional states. Islamic Iran has consistently advocated this and has demanded that foreign forces should withdraw and let regional states determine its security.
Russia appears to have made a strategic decision to deepen its relations with the Muslim world. This is reflected in its trade and economic policies as well as treatment of its own Musims citizens who were in the past greatly oppressed.
The generals in Pakistan follow no rules and are answerable to no one. They have usurped all political space. The current crisis is the direct result of the generals’ refusal to allow the normal political process to continue to hold elections because they fear it will bring Imran Khan back to power. That is not what they want, hence the deep political crisis.
With the US going berserk by imposing sanctions on China, Russia and a host of other countries, it has led to Moscow and Beijing to deepen their economic and military ties. China-Russia trade has surpassed US-China trade in 2023.
On June 6, 2021, four members of the Afzaal family were brutally murdered by a hate-filled anti-Muslim person named Nathaniel Veltman in London, Ontario. He deliberately drove his truck into them crushing four members to death and seriously injuring the nine-year-old son. Little has been done to confront Islamophobia in Canada.
McDonald’s is the best-known food brand in the US. It has now spread to many countries of the world. Yet, McDonald’s food is an extremely unhealthy food that humans can consume. It causes obesity and results in 300,000 deaths annually in the US.
Re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh create a realistic opportunity to rebuild Al-Baqee, offering a chance to restore and revitalize the historically significant Islamic cemetery, while also reducing sectarian tensions fuelled by geopolitical rivalry.
The $1.6 billion deal between Iran and Russia to build the Rasht-Astara rail link is another game-changer in global trade. It has changed trading patterns away from the western-dominated system to an independent system where the west can no longer blackmail others through sanctions.
The desperation to win elections can bring out the worst in people. This is what was witnessed in the second round of presidential elections in Turkiye. Instead of discussing real issues, both contestants tried to prove their ultranationalist credentials. It was not Turkiye’s finest hour!
The world is undergoing rapid change. China has emerged as a major global economic power. The Europeans have realized this and are scrambling to get in the good books of China, much to the annoyance of the US.
America’s terminal decline is reflected in the manner in which ex-president Donald Trump is being entangled in legal cases about election fraud. Sure, America is a thoroughly corrupt state. Money talks. Every politician is in someone’s pocket. So, what is new about Trump?
The US proxy war in Ukraine against Russia and its deliberately provocative moves against China in Taiwan and the South China Sea have brought Russia and China closer to each other. The US only has itself to blame.
For eight years, the Saudis continued with a vicious war against the Yemeni people but made little headway. Recent developments show the Saudis have had a change of mind. What has forced them to change course and sue for peace?
