Research Report 7 – State persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan: Christians in distress
Abstract
Religious minorities, including Christians, are facing severe discriminations in numerous Muslim-majority countries. Yet in no country are Christians so systematically - and institutionally - persecuted and victimised as in Pakistan. Here, the plight of the Christian community ‘fully illustrates the vagaries, miseries and dangers of life as a religious...
Focus 72 – Closing Gender Gaps in Education, Finance & Child Care – Unlocking...
Abstract
The staggeringly low number of women entrepreneurs in India demands for a number of interventions in terms of education, access to finance and child-care options. Considering that women empowerment in itself is valuable and has positive effects on the economy, it is high time to address the gender gaps...
COMMENT 215 – Bangladesh resists Chinese BRI heavy-handiness!
BRI in Bangladesh
Bangladesh formalised its presence in the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, BRI, (bgnews24.com, 15 October, 2016) during a visit by President Xi to the country. Both countries also agreed to promote their relations to the level of ‘strategic partnership’. The volume of investments agreed made Bangladesh...
COMMENT 214 – Central Asia and the EU-India connectivity partnership – Reinventing the spicy...
Introduction
The EU-India summit of May the 8th 2021 approved a vast array of common initiatives – among which the EU-India Connectivity Partnership, the most important European global connectivity enterprise yet.
Based on ‘shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights that underpin their...
COMMENT 213 – Pakistan: development calls for freedom and democracy!
Introduction
Chinese and Pakistani authorities celebrated on the past 21st of May the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. A series of events and ceremonies included the launching of the song ‘Pakistan has stolen my heart’, which reportedly instantaneously ‘became viral’ (Global Times, 21st of May, 2021), a commemorative coin...
COMMENT 212 – India can play a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s stability after U.S....
As the United States prepares to pull out the entirety of its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan (Liptak, 2021) – a move fast being followed by NATO allies in the war-tattered nation (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation , 2021a, 2021b) – the onus for security and stability will fall on...
SADF is participating in the “NIICE Global Conclave 2021”
From June 25 to 27, SADF is participating in the “NIICE Global Conclave 2021”. It is a co-organised event with the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE). Other partners include the Center for Chinese and East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU, India), the Institute of South Asian...
POLICY BRIEF 11 – Disinformation in the name of the ‘fight against disinformation’
The case of ‘EU DisinfoLab’
Table of contents
Abstract
EU DisinfoLab: a disinformation tool
The Disinfo Lab sprawl
The Islamist hidden link
Freedom of expression
Modern disinformation strategies
Recommendations
References
Correspondence
Keywords:
Disinformation, disinfolab, google, twitter, islamist, iran, Benalla, US, Soros, crosscheck.
Abstract
This policy brief comes in the wake of a vicious...
COMMENT 207 – Pakistan’s vision to reset its ties with the U.S. and the...
Pakistan is in the process of realigning its foreign policy parameters. Since last year, it became clear that Islamabad is trying to achieve more independence from Saudi Arabia in order to enlarge the room for collaboration with Iran. Currently, in a second major move to change the paradigm in...
COMMENT 206 – Pakistan’s new civilian-military cordiality in perspective
Since Imran Khan took office as Pakistan’s Prime Minister (PM) in August 2018, there has been an obvious improvement in the ties between the civilian government and the country’s armed forces. It is argued here that this new civil-military cordiality led to a constructive, less tensed working relationship between...