Saturday, February 09, 2013
Amin Jan Naim
In times gone by, the earth was free for people to move wherever they wanted. The whole population of the world the was hardly a few million. With the advent of nation states, the free movement of people began to be restricted. ...

Thursday, January 24, 2013
Amin Jan Naim
Amongst the different cultural streams of the world, some are salutary and benign, while others, in my opinion, are retrogressive and malignant. Culture has a major influence on people’s economic prosperity, social outlook and ...

Friday, January 11, 2013
Amin Jan Naim
It is a widely held belief that our Foreign Service officers enjoy a high-flying life of glamour and pomp. The truth is somewhat different. The kind of work they are now tasked to perform is quite different from the traditional ...

Saturday, December 22, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
It is often argued that Pakistan’s defence expenditure should be curtailed in order to promote economic development. In my view, such arguments are misconceived. The choice is not between a security state and a welfare state. These ...

Friday, November 23, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
How should societies and nations control force and violence? This is a perennial question that has confronted mankind. Violence is intrinsic, so it is necessary to exercise control over it. As societies grow and mature, they ...

Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
An uninterrupted political process, no matter how messy, and the holding of regular general elections are indispensible for every country in today’s world. In our circles, it is sometimes argued that democracy is a suitable form ...

Monday, October 01, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
A predominant part of the politics, economics and development of a country depends on the values of its society and culture. At present, people in Pakistan are so overwhelmed by worries and difficulties that they have lost ...

Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
In his first book of the Iliad, lines 68-72, Homer says: “... and among them stood up Kalchas, Thestor’s son ... who knew all that is, is to be, or once was ...”. Homer designates Kalchas as the seer, who is able to see everything ...

Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
A professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics, Sandra Jovchelovitch, has undertaken research in the dangerous drug favela areas of Rio de Janeiro. The final report of which will be presented this autumn. This ...

Thursday, August 16, 2012
Amin Jan Naim
What is the best way for an economic system to run? No clear cut answer has been found until now. The usual categorisation of economic systems into “capitalist”, “socialist” or “communist” is no longer valid today. Historically, ...