Aqeel Ahmad

 Review of the book. When Robert D. Kaplan talks, people listen. Kaplan has authored over a dozen books on subjects ranging from the conflicts of the Middle East to the wars of the Balkan Peninsula, and his uncanny ability to assess international trends has catapulted him onto Foreign Policy magazine’s list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. In his latest book, Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific, he demonstrates that the Southeast Asian littoral may very well be the locus of the most important clashes of the twenty-first century. Kaplan’s talents as an author complement his insightful analyses; his prose is lucid, informative, and accessible. The book is an excellent tool for exploring multiple classroom topics ranging from nationalism, geography, and diplomacy to military affairs, interstate competition, economic development, and authoritarianism. Most undergraduates, as well as high school students in honors or advanced placement courses, should ha...

By Aqeel Ahmad Gichki and Adeel  Ahmed Gichki  First published on World Geostrategic Insight on 15/03/2022         Impractical threats from the US are undermining its hegemonic role.  The West Policies to counter Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine are putting the entire so-called liberal institutionalist and democratic world at risk.  The world’s attention was focused on the West, particularly the United States to see what type of punitive actions they would take as they claimed against Russia and what penalties Russia would suffer if it invaded Ukraine. Russia has now taken the action and begun a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine. Still, the world has not seen any concrete steps taken by the NATO countries to contain the Russian aggression. So, what do these incidents tell the scholars of International Relations (IR)? The situation is once again forcing to observe the world realistically. As  John J. Mearsheimer  says in ...

  Why does Pakistan need to focus on it security and deterrence? States live in an anarchical world where no higher authority exists. All states have to prosper through self-help to make sure they survive. Nuclear weapons, with potential lethality, can be used for balancing the potential destruction against rival states. Considering the security model, one can argue that Pakistan started its nuclear program for its security purposes. Nuclear weapons are the weapons of deterrence by creating fear in the mind of the adversary potentially preventing full-scale wars. Countries that build nuclear weapons, build these, to ensure their relative security and survival. Only nine countries have developed nuclear weapons (since South Africa dismantled its nuclear program). Kenneth Waltz, in his book  Theory of International Politics , argues that nuclear power states are concerned with maintaining their position within the international system. States work harder to increase their streng...

Objectives:  1. To understand the intellectual background of the French Revolution of 1789.  2. To study the philosophical views of various French philosophers, especially those related to the state and society.  3. To review the contribution of the Encyclopedists and Physiocrats to the understanding of the conditions prior to the French Revolution of 1789. 2.1.  Introduction:  In addition to the economic and social difficulties, the Ancient Regime was undermined intellectually by the apostles of the Enlightenment. The philosophers were extremely critical of the Ancient Regime. In their writings, the French philosophers discredited the old order and generated optimism about the future. The philosophers introduced ideas such as constitutional monarchy, republicanism, popular sovereignty, and social equality and influenced the course of the Revolution. Voltaire attacked the church and absolutism; Montesquieu made English constitutionalism fashionable ...

 Objectives:  1. To understand the nature of the Ancient Regime that existed in France on the eve of the French Revolution of 1789.   2. To have an insight into the political, social and economic conditions in France which ultimately led to the Revolution of 1789 .  1.1. Introduction Towards the end of the eighteenth century, an uprising staged by the French people against the autocracy and aristocracy, which came to be known as the French Revolution, shook Europe. The French Revolution brought about a major transformation of the society and political system in France that lasted from 1789 to 1799. During the course of the Revolution, France was temporarily transformed from an absolute monarchy, where the king monopolized power, to a republic of theoretically free and equal citizens. The effects of the French Revolution were widespread, both inside and outside of France, and the Revolution ranks as one of the most important events in the history of ...