by sqshareef | Dec 18, 2021 | News International Pakistan
International IDEA, a European think tank which tracks progress of democracies across the world, has in its recently released report assessed the US as a ‘backsliding democracy.’ This assessment was based on a study of 28 indicators of democracy during 2020-21....
by sqshareef | Nov 24, 2021 | News International Pakistan
The US political scene continues to be rife with acrimony, and negativity. Discussion in the political press these days is mostly focused on how much Joe Biden’s approval ratings have dropped in recent months. While this discussion started with the ill-conceived...
by sqshareef | Nov 24, 2021 | News International Pakistan
In early November a handful of states, among them Virginia and New Jersey, conducted elections for governor and other key positions. Both these states had been reliably in the hands of the Democratic Party for the past several election cycles. However, in these...
by sqshareef | Nov 24, 2021 | News International Pakistan
On October 18, retired American general Colin Powell passed away due to complications from Covid. He was 84 years old and had been treated for blood cancer which had compromised his immune system. Powell was one of the most respected figures from recent American...
by sqshareef | Oct 23, 2021 | News International Pakistan
Last week, after much back and forth, the US Congress passed a resolution to increase the government’s borrowing limit so it could continue to operate. Republicans in the Senate had been blocking the effort, threatening a shutdown of the government and potential...
by sqshareef | Oct 23, 2021 | News International Pakistan
On September 21, US President Joe Biden delivered his first address to the UN General Assembly. In his speech, he laid out the vision for how the US plans to lead the world with more engagement and collaboration, with a view to building back a better world. Most of...
by sqshareef | Oct 23, 2021 | News International Pakistan
The past few weeks have been tumultuous for the US. The abrupt and ill planned withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, and the rapid takeover by the Taliban, sparked soul-searching in the US – what exactly was accomplished by the tremendous loss of life and...
by sqshareef | Sep 10, 2021 | News International Pakistan
The rapid collapse of the US-supported government in Kabul and take over by the Taliban has taken everyone by surprise. The US was caught entirely flatfooted. Having just evacuated the last of its troops from the country, it was forced to send back thousands of...
by sqshareef | Sep 10, 2021 | Blogs
My Memory of September 11, 2001 As I focused further on my role on the Kmart team, I gradually started making important contacts with senior managers in Cincinnati, becoming part of a network of senior marketing managers at the headquarters. It was in this capacity...
by sqshareef | Aug 28, 2021 | News International Pakistan
Aftab Hassan Usman (1954-2021): on August 6, I received a message from Seher Usman, my friend Aftab Usman’s daughter, simply stating “Papa has passed away.” Aftab had been struck by the coronavirus just a few days earlier and had been hospitalized. I had remained in...
by sqshareef | Aug 28, 2021 | News International Pakistan
Of the many ideas that loom large in the American psyche, the notion of freedom is close to the top. We hear too often utterances such as “we are a free country,” or “we are free to choose”. Not only do Americans believe they are a free country, but the implication is...
by sqshareef | Aug 28, 2021 | News International Pakistan
On Tuesday, July 27 the US Congress held the first hearing of the Select Committee set up to investigate the events of January 6, 2021. On that day a violent mob of Trump supporters assaulted the Capitol building resulting in injuries and even death of several...
