Originally posted December 2009
Originally posted December 2009
Originally posted December 2009
Nation-states, like their citizens, have life spans. Some are short. The bumptious Republic of Texas, for instance, lasted only nine years before being absorbed by a larger and even more energetic United States of America. Yugoslavia survived intact for two generations and then fragmented into six parts, seven including Kosovo.
Recent media reports indicate that fewer Afghan women turned out to vote for a President on August 20, 2009 than went to the polls five years ago, when in some districts female turnout had been even higher than that of males. Apprehension, convention, ennui, and disorganization led to families keeping their women home on election day, even as men dared to vote. The reversal of women’s rights, which they had only recently begun to exercise, is an ominous sign.
The state of Pakistan seems incapable of learning from its experiences in former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and seems therefore doomed to repeat history when it comes to addressing the grievances of Balochistan. Home to nearly ten million of the 180 million-strong population of the country (an estimate at best, since the last census was in 1998), the province has the smallest population in the country but the largest land area.
Audio recording from MEI 60th Annual Conference
Audio recording from MEI 60th Annual Conference
Audio recording from MEI 60th Annual Conference
Audio recording from MEI 60th Annual Conference
Audio recording from MEI 60th Annual Conference
Audio recording from MEI 60th Annual Conference
Audio recording from The Political Situation in Pakistan
Audio recording from The Political Situation in Pakistan
Audio recording from The Political Situation in Pakistan
Audio recording from The Political Situation in Pakistan