Te ray eos) ee Dl Ped Ce] aad Ty Ce Pa asta] ar rr Ciaran} Co tug | Se ud Dow WORLD TIMES INSTITUTE www.devisingexams.co CURRENT AFFAIRS cL Sino-US Rivalry and Pakistan's Predicament = Evaleating the Lersonn ofthe Alghan War 2 Greener EPEC > Reviving the Economy = The Crisivo! Quality in Education = The Creeityo! Americas Imperiatiom = Earnpe aad the Sauth China Sea 5 Rustia's interest inthe New Global Onder 2 Baniee of ieternanonal Law > Judicial System of Pakistan 2 Exruring Waler Avadtability Quad and AUKUS Alliances and many more ed fromwww.devisingexams.coAfghanistan Climate Change What's The Least Bad W: Covid-19 Contents Evaluating the Lessons of the Afghan Wat a. eon ‘China and the US. Exit from Afghanistan. seven DB Is Afghanistan A Playground for New Proxy W. sl “Has Asia Lost It? Dynamic Past, Turbulen . oll The Myth of the Nuclear Revolution ~ one Pakistan: The Economy of an Elitist St Fa We Must Urgently Prioritise Ad Climate of Change Climate Change Risk Asse “i ih 8 Covid-19 and Hum; Lo fn ag 2 Plan to Build Bac} i o mae . Tow Countris and Rebound From an Epidemic Like Covid-19, Building a Fter The Pandemic... st CPEC and OBO] CPEC ar Go Hand in Hand sc. sos ol Gre fon . nn 39 How Hers for Afghanistan... e seems eal (CPPC-Pxtension and De-Dollarization Could Help Afghanistan... Economy Has World Economy Walked Out of Darkest Moment? 00Education Energy Crisis, Reviving the Feonomy ...... 7 i aoe Green Finance. ” 7 ee ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on Pakistani and Indian Economies... Deconstructing the GSP-Plus Status. . ps ‘The Neglected Sources of China's Economic Resilience eon 60 How Pakistan's Young Fconomy can Harness the Power 9 on 63 University Rankings... 65 An Unfullilled Promise... eon 66 ‘The Crisis of Quality in Education. ic Pakistan's Educational Policy Flawed Planning Lessons for the Energy Transition fron + What a Modern Energy Crisis Looks Li 5 + torn nny aa von Foreign Policy and Relations ‘+ _Jinnah’s Vision of Pakistan’s Fe f 7 one 80 + Image Building. 7 == ee 82 Economic Diplomacy : ‘The Tortured Pakistani- Blaming Pakistan is No Sokutior A Bizarre Foreign P, 2 Science Diplo J . cain ae Sino-US Rive ’$ Predicament ..... cent ersscenentetrtan Terms of En a oon 96 Joe Biden of America’s Foreign Policy ati a) What Wi Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Uneasy Border?, 100 Can the “ont ract Survive? . 04 ‘The Dilemma of Police Reforms. 7 stein 106 Inclusivity and SustainabilityHealth Sector ‘Integrating the Telehealth Paradigm into Current Healthcare System. * Foundation of Healthcare..... History © Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, - col © Native Americans. : " seal International Issues © The Cruelty of American Imperialism. . nel 24 ‘+ Why Technology Shapes European Power... a1 ‘* A Symbol of the US' Decline as a World Power, eel 34 ‘+ Furope and the South China Sea. +The China Sleepwalking Syndrome. ‘+ AUKUS and the CPTFP..... ‘* Assessing The EU's New Indo-P: : ell © USAdIran, . ‘ a3 ‘© Russia’s Interests in the New Global : a 1S International Law ‘© Dispute Settlement Mechanism, YOLOS 1982 eer 147 # A Guide to the Basies of Int sass 150 * The Taliban and Recogniti a on 152 International Relations «Explaining 21st-Century Capital... = © The United Nations rmination, State Failure and Secession Interviews * = Makhdooms Qureshi Imran Khan; 6th Session of UNGA... 76 Kashmir * The sshmir will Guarantee Peace in South Asia... + Tall ashmiris, Law # Judicial System of Pakistan con onn . ‘= Criminal Law after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.* ‘The Dream of Parliamentary Sovereignty’... i 192 Middle East ‘+ How Regional Realignments Are Helping Depressurize the Middle East 195 ‘© How the West Co-Opts the Human Rights Industry 196 © China's Increasing Influence in the Middle Fast. a 198 Organizations * ‘The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Will Not Fill ghanistan ...203, ‘+ Why the Quad Summit Was a Strategic Success.. © Quad Leaders’ Summit. “ + Is the AUKUS Alliance a Sign of a US Pivot A * Will Quad and AUKUS Alliances Drive Euroy + Reforming UN Should Be the First Step for Population ‘+The New Population Bomb. : nc Reports © OurCommon Agenda... The Missing Third. # Strengthening Governance in P + Groundswell sDGs f + PMKhan Must Do Fis se + Pakistan Ranks 149/188.0n SDG Index... Water / 2 Water Str088 onc J 248JOIN FREE WHATSAPP GROUP Send Your: Name: Age: Year to Appear in CSS or PMS: Profession: Qualification: District: 03433006069 WhatsappEVALUATING THE LESSONS OF THE AFGHAN WAR lira Sehgal (defencd and security analyst) Although the Taliban hac! no hand in the barbarous 9/1 1 attacks (15.ou¥ ELYaHackers were Sauls), the presence of Osama bin Laden on Afghan soil became their eprsigetion While all the hijackers were allliated to Al Qaida, the Taliban neither had any knovledgéaboubthe plan sor were they involved init However, there remains no doubt that he was the perpetrator ofthis trocify and that they should have handed him over. Their miscalculation caused the citizens Of Afghanistan fo take the brunt of the US vengeance (its violence, murder and mayhem spilling ovéflinto Pakistan). The 9/11 Commission established in November 2002 issued their final reportion July’ 22, 2008Multiple criticisms were heard that many documents remained undisclosed. The one éloeumertifecenily released by US President Biden doesn't add to anything that we already know 9/11's condemnable act of savagery was totilly Grecia against non-combatants. This pure unadulterated terrorist act cannot be condonediby afWistreteh of the imagination. My son almost became its victim as he was working in a law firm inf@has? Manhattan Plaza across the road. Having heard the first explosion, he walked around fo the Conference Room facing, the World Trade Center (WTC) and actually saw the second aircraft plodgh into the tower. Hunkering down for a couple of hhours because of the falling debris, smoke and rulbble, he then made his way through the unfolding, chaos to find my daughter several blocks aweayllIndeed, it was a miracle that they found each other. With sore feet (their shoes ton by walking onlthe rubble), both walked for nearly 90 blocks home. Many NY residents offered water, foodland even temporary shelter on the way. That this horrible act did not affect me personally is God's willlbut should I not condemn it and grieve for all those thousands of innocents who died withOut, knowing why? Certainly, I will unequivocally condemn those who perpetrated this atrocity! The US was 100 per cent right in seeking revenge but it was 100 per cent wrong in not targeting Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida specifically; putting all their effort in taking them out. The Commission estafiished s@lere intelligence faihures by the FBI and CIA. The report has been accused of not giving thelwholestdFy about the warnings the US had received before the attacks, The Commission opined tha military means aside, public diplomacy should be used to bring Afghans around: envisioningean eventual government being able to build a national army, coordinate infrastructure and (Publiiservices in major provinces throughout the country, The Doha talks and ‘Accord thereof, iitiallwithOut participation by the Ashraf Ghani regime, recognised this home truth The largesfitribalipopUlation in the world have their lifestyle and set of values. Afghans cannot be made to give it Gpand adopt the western one. They will stand up against anybody who tries to pressurise or coléiniseithem, be it the British in 1842, the Soviets in the 1980s or the combined power of the US and NATO during the last 20 years in the 2st century. These latest fruitless efforts of the “most civilised” nations, against a supposedly uncivilise! population, has destroyed generations of young Afghans. Born into turmoil, they have starved, missed health care and malnourishment, been maimed and/or have died from bullets and drone attacks. Having never seen peace during, their lifetime, it will tke decades to overcome the trauma of 20 years of war.The 9/11 Commission report was criticised heavily soon after its release. In a 2004 article, tiled, “Whitewash as Public Service: How the 9/11 Commission Report defrauds the nation.” Harper's Magazine writer Benjamin DeMott stated “The plain sad reality ~ I report this following four full days studying the work ~ is that the 9/11 Commission Report, despite the vast quantity of labour behind itis a cheat anda fraud. It stands as a series of evasive manoeuvres that infantlize the audience, transform candour into iniquity, and conceal realities that clemand immediate inspection and confrontation,S Another story conveniently forgotten is US oil company UN pipeline deal with the fundamentalist Taliban regime and forge part them. This is despite the regime not being recognised by the intemational cada than members sith densi ateccmamaiyttinas glk. “iy” _durtirained for meeting the Taliban leaders in Houston was Zalmay Khalilzad, t Constitant for UNOCAL. Having served asa State Department official when Ronald Reagan was Preaien, ha publicly voiced support forthe radial Islamists, Negotiations over the pipeline cola ’ALQueda bombed two US embassies in Africa. However, in 1998, TAP! became he cig ap to get access to Central Asian oil and gas. The contract for TAP (without India - ae -soon after the US had. installed a client government in Kabul This should be a moment of reflection for us yf ‘GenePabwitshorta’s spur-f-the-moment decision to join the US in the Afghan war had severe sonséqueites for Pakistan. One must not blame Musharraf only. Whatever criticism one may leydiifhagushar tigifore taking any mojor decision, he would consult those generals who were his closest aides, When he went wrong, it was invariably because of bad or motivated advice-or worse, usually being told by some of his slavish aides sucking up to him for their perks and promotions what” yanted tear (Anything new or strange here?) id any one of them remonstrate and adgise againstit? This requires courage of conviction! Some of these outright hypocrites now come on ime TV and shamelessly (blandly) pontificate about Afghanistan. Their present status of wealllwas bBaBht by the blood of our Shaheed, both military and civilian, Ne President Tromp alleged in 2018 RatEPaRg In had not done a damned thing” forthe US. PM Imran Khan summarised Pakistan utiois for him and the world, Pakistan had suffered over 100000 casualties in this war whilé ever $150)hn yas lost to the economy. US “aid” was a minuscule $20 bn, “most of it being “Coalition Support” funds for which every penny spent was accounted for. With Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan devastated, Imran Khan added that nillions of people had been iproote from thei homes. “Pakistan continues to provide ffée lines of ground and air communications (GLOCs/ ALOCS), can Mr Trump name anothépally that gave such sacrifices?” This is only the tiplfithe e@berg, Hosting millions of Afghan refugees over decades, the spll- over of violence of a Kalashnily and drug culture permeated into Pakistan society. Talibanization has resulted in a st Of a strict, close to the Wahabi form of Islamic practice that has been sadicalised today a”. connections to tertorisen. Coping with the residual legacy of the Afghan war willlake d@eades and demand considerable economic and intellectual effort. It also requires our oe to wake up to ground realities - photo-ops and a 9-to-5 syndrome will not do. Will require political will (Source: Daily Times)CHINA AND THE U.S. EXIT FROM AFGHANISTAN Not a Zero-Sum Outcom: Andrew Scobell, Ph.D, (distinguished fellow withthe China program at the USIP) It has become fashionable to characterize recent events in Afghanistan as a loss for the United States and a win for China, This zero-sum interpretation framed in theimaitow context of US-China relations is too simplistic and off the mark. The reality i far more complex andinuanced, The end of the US. military presence in Afghanistan and the collapse ofthat county's pro-Western yovernment do not automaticaly translate into significant Chinese gains, nor do they, trigger agwift Beijing swoop to fill the vacuum in Kabul left by Washington Not a Two-Player Game Tor the new Taliban government in Afghanistan, China i not the s0I@/9F even most obvious alternative to the United States. Other countries, notably Pakistan angan, are major players. Each of these countries has considerable influence in Afghanistan, While Bejing enjoys positive and enduring ties with Islamabad and Tehran, this does not mean Chittg’s pHiofities and policies vis-a-vis Afghanistan line up perfectly with either one of these slaen Furthermore, the United States has not completly vanishedtum the scene, Despite suffering significant setback with the rapid collapse of the KLScbaCked ational government and a hasty and jgnominious airlift from Kabul, the United States#emains enméshéd in Afghanistan ina range of ways and it has publicly committed to continuing to offer Rtmaritafian assistance to the Afghan people. Indeed, the Taliban seems to desire “a good ang. diplomatic relationship” with the United States, Hence, where Afghanistan is concerned, the Usted States ay be down but is far from out. Moreover, Beijing-Taliban ties are complicated. Consequently, China is neither the bigf“witeflln the Afghan debacle nor perfectly poised to become the dominant player in Afghanistan. Conta to conventional wisdom, the outcome is not a clear victory for Bejing, China isnot “ready to¥tep into the void” and Beijing is not destined to be the ‘Taliban’ "main partner.” China Is Not the Big Winner The US. exit from Afghanistafldoes MBkconstitute a clear win for China, Although Beijing has always been uneasy about a U-S-snliaay footprint on its western flank, Chinese leaders privately hhoped that Washington's efforts would baling lasting stability to Afghanistan, ‘Today, Beijing views the US. exit from Aighanistag(with considerable ambivalence. While relieved to see U.S. forces gone from Central Asia, Chinese leaders ag@ fearful of what comes next In the immediate aftofitath of He Taliban takeover, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yisaidl China desires a “soft landing’sfor Mghaitistan. Wang’s words underscore China's paramount priority for Aighanistar: stability dbuv@alhels. What Beijing fears most isa period of uncertainty during which Afghanistan devol\es,intooprotracted chaos marked by widespread violence, a humanitarian catastrophe on epié seal@and the country emerges once again as an epicenter and prolferator of transnational tergrismiand extremism. What Would it Afghanistan Look Like for China? China's bar foPSued¥5s in Afghanistan is quite low. Ifthe new Taliban regime can maintain basic order inside the@ountyy and prevent the export of instability beyond its borders, then Beijing will be wll atisied. Yet Mifeapfatan could once spain become a hey rode for traronational terrorism and nurcotrafficking either in spite of or because of the new government in Kabul. The Taliban, for example, could prove unable to exert effective control over the entire country of, alternatively, intentionally focus on exporting its brand of Islamic fundamentalism through arming. and training fighters to infiltrate other countries, including China‘Ata minimum, China seeks stability on its westernmost frontier. While China shares a 57-mile border with Afghanistan, the frontier area abuts a remote, rugged and high-altitude locale known as the Wakhan Corridor. Hence, Beijing is less fearful of instability spilling over into China directly from, Afghanistan than it is of this occusring indirectly via third countries. Destabilizing, Pakistan or Tajikistan would be worrisome in and of itself, but the turmoil could then also spill over into western China, Yet, Beijing's worst nightmare is that worsening turmoil on the fault line between South and Central Asia could lead to heightened volatility in these neighboring rigions and foment greater instability in Xinjiang. . China Is Not Ready to Step into the Void . Beijing's foremost priority for the near term — certainly iMt 2022 AS bility and calm domestically and around China's periphery. Chinese President Xi finpin y dtu, hig colleagues want to successfully host the Beijing Winter Olympics next Februazy and presid@eyer apperfectly orchestrated 20th Communist Party Congress next fall. ~~ Se While China's mindset is extremely defensive and /risk-averStp Beijing is certainly open to expanding its influence and activities in Afghanistan, Chinia has aMibitions regarding Afghanistan, but this does not mean these designs are precisely mappedout or fyolve Plans for imminent action. China's outward confidence and seemingly purposefilpronobiigements in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover and US. exit mask a multitude of inner deiubts artthdeeper disquiet, China's cautious: actions belie the veneer of constant self-assurance ne periodic bravado. China has essentially adopted a wait-and-see approach, Xiland his fellow Chinese Communist Party Politburo members are intimately familiar with tHechallenges of governing a sprawling and populous country. They are also well-aware ofthe ffatught process of transforming an insurgent movement into an administrative apparatus éapabiejof maintaining order and advancing national economic prosperity. : China Ts Not the Taliban’s “Main Partner™ yi Peijing and the Taliban both have gOUhcasQH to Cooperate, but their partnership will be an uneasy one. Contrary to some predictions, yet to extend diplomatic recognition to the ‘Taliban government. Beijing views Aighanistanas a minefield and isnot completely comfortable with its new rulers, Although China haa détaciesilong history of talking to the Taliban and retained its embassy in Kabul as the United States andmany other countries pulled out their diplomats and shuttered theie missions, Beijing i carelishabout blundering into a chaotic and volatile situation and will almost certainly proceed with caution when it comes to striking deals with Afghanistan's new rulers While much has been mad@lof China hosting a high-level Taliban delegation in July, this event highlights Beijing's abidiigeprogmptism and China's ongoing efforts to hedge its bets where Afghanistan is concernedirathetahin signaling 2 burgewning alliance. In retrospect, the diplomatic initiative looks to be aétute realpolitik, having positioned Beijing to look positively inclined and open todoing hoist eee Yet, China hag) mdWed slowly and warily. Although Chinese officials and authorized commentators hie stigjested that Beijing is ready to step in with substantial aid and economic investment for{Nighanistan, no major agreements have been announced, let alone any supplies dalivered orga MM ald signed. China has promised a modest commnitinent of some $30 million, but this just a drép inthe bucket. Reports switl that Beijing is in the process of negotiating a deal to occupy the former US. ait base at Bagram, but so far this is just a rumor. China is likely to continue its slow pace as it probes the intentions, priorities and disposition of the Taliban government. Moreover, forthe foreseeable future, Beijing is likely to judge the new regime by what it doesn’t do rather than what it does. Will the Taliban leave China's foreign trade and