IntelliBriefs

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Rise of Talibans will lead to Pakistan’s downfall

A few weeks after the Taliban takeover of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15, 2021 which appears to be Pakistan’s problematic victory in Afghanistan, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the Taliban victory in a statement as “breaking the shackles of slavery.” And Pakistani pro-Taliban groups and Pakistani media propagated the victory of Taliban as the victory of Islam! Is this a victory of Pakistan or the beginning of its downfall? Some important key points to assess the situation. 1- Shadow of the Taliban: After Taliban's [Big Brother's] victory in Afghanistan and the implementation of Shariah law in the occupied country, the Taliban's younger brother Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is also demanding Shariah law implementation within Pakistan. Pakistan in its core is a fundamentalist/radical Islamist ideological country and sponsor of terrorism, but for cover to show world that it (Pakistan) is a progressive and secular country it denies officially enforcing Shari

Book By RAW Officer’s Daughter On Kashmir's Trauma Kicks Off Debate, Irks Anonymous Scholars

The ‘anonymous scholars’ have unleashed an attack on Saiba Varma, an Indian anthropologist from the University of California, over the book, ‘The Occupied Clinic: Militarism and Care in Kashmir’, saying her father ‘create(d) the trauma’ in the valley. Saiba Varma (left), Cover of the book, 'The Occupied Clinic: Militarism and Care in Kashmir’ (right) Naseer Ganai Published: 19 Sep 2021, Updated: 19 Sep 2021 10:07 pm An anonymous Twitter account’s attack on the author of a book on Kashmir accusing her of being the daughter of a RAW officer has created a fresh storm on the cyber space. The anonymous account @Settler_Scholar through a series of tweets, unleashed an attack on the author Saiba Varma, an Indian anthropologist from the University of California, after the release of her book, ‘The Occupied Clinic: Militarism and Care in Kashmir’ published by Duke University in the US and Yoda Press in India. The @Settler_Scholar alleged that her book is on the trauma in the Valley while

Book Launch: The Digital Silk Road

China's Quest to Wire the World and Win the Future Tuesday, October 19, 2021 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm The event will be webcast live from this page. From the ocean floor to outer space, China’s Digital Silk Road aims to wire the world and rewrite the global order. Join CSIS for a discussion with Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian and author Jonathan Hillman of what China’s expanding digital footprint looks like on the ground—inside China’s surveillance state, rural America, and Africa’s megacities—and the economic and strategic consequences of a future in which all routers lead to Beijing Watch event here https://www.csis.org/events/book-launch-digital-silk-road

Sadr and independents biggest winners under Iraq's new election law

The new election law was beneficial for large political blocs and independents, but it also harmed a number of large blocs whose presence in the new parliament has become almost marginal. AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images Mustafa Saadoun @SaadoonMustaf Iraqi elections October 13, 2021 The results of Iraq's recent parliamentary elections came as a surprise to all, winners and losers included, indicating a new political era in the country. The Shiite Coordination Framework (a group including armed Shiite parties and forces, mostly from the Fatah Alliance) issued a statement Oct. 12 in which it questioned the results of the elections held Oct. 10 and threatened to take action. Less than an hour later, Abu Ali al-Askari, a security and military official in the Hezbollah Brigades, issued a statement challenging the elections and calling on “the armed resistance factions to prepare for a critical stage.” The Independent Electoral Commission results were somewhat shocking to politi

How China Avoided Soviet-Style Collapse

Pete Reynolds for Noema Magazine BY ADAM TOOZE SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 CREDITS Understanding the shifting balance of social forces, interest groups and political factions is essential to see how China escaped the shock therapy that brought down the Soviet Union. Pete Reynolds for Noema Magazine BY ADAM TOOZE SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 For three days in the middle of May 1989, the Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev visited Beijing. It was the first visit by a Soviet leader to China since the Sino-Soviet split. It would be the last. After Gorbachev went home, the two countries’ paths divided. Over the next two and a half years, the Soviet Union and its alliance system were dismembered. A world power was relegated to the status of a Eurasian spoiler with an outsized nuclear arsenal. As the apparatus of Soviet command was dismantled, the economies of the former Union and its allies imploded. People suffered a disastrous collapse in their standard of living. The life expectancy of Russian wor

The smart city comes of age

Bryan Walsh , author of Future Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Better sensors, more intelligent AI, and the coming wave of 5G wireless could finally fulfill the promise of the smart city. Why it matters: How we organize, run and power our cities will be increasingly important in the years ahead, as urbanization expands and the damaging effects of climate change compound. A smarter city can be a more sustainable and livable one, but connecting where we live carries privacy threats as well as the risks of more disruptive cyberattacks. By the numbers: Even with the pandemic suburban boom , 80% of Americans live in urban areas, up from 64% in 1950 . The percentage is projected by the UN to rise to 89% by 2050. Pre-COVID, 3 million people a week around the world were moving to cities — which brings challenges around overburdened infrastructure and equity. Between the lines: Those millions of people create a deluge of data through their actions and behaviors — 16.5 zettabytes this ye