Shahid Javed Burki Journalist Profile

Articles

Reemergence of Islamic extremism

Jan 12, 2025 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

The internet and its extensive use have made it possible for people with a strong view of the world to communicate with like-minded folks. Common philosophies are finding new followers while those who are "fence sitters" come down and become adherents of the views being advertised on the internet. Belonging to this category of believers are the Islamic extremists who are able to spread their word among those who are searching for new ways of ordering their lives.
Middle East edging towards sustainable peace

Dec 8, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

Recent events in the Middle East may mean that the region, after years of conflict, could be heading towards sustainable peace. This has become possible because of the conclusions reached by the region's two major powers, Iran and Israel. The Jewish state agreed to cease operations aimed at destroying the capability of the Iran-aided militia to inflict pain and damage on its side of the border with Lebanon.
Trade tariffs as an instrument of international policy

Dec 1, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

When Donald Trump who made a name for himself in the construction industry in New York decided to enter the field of politics he promised that were he to be elected the country's president, he would make America great again. MAGA became an important slogan for building a large, cult-like political support in the country. Those who became his steadfast supporters put MAGA on their red hats as did Trump himself. He won the presidential election in 2016 defeating narrowly the Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Ageing of populations

Nov 24, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

World population is growing but not as rapidly as was the case in the past. Growth rates are high in some areas but are coming down in several other places. Demographers have calculated what they call the "replacement age" at 2.1 children per woman. The rate has fallen well below that average in the US, Western Europe and Russia which means that populations in these places have begun to decline.
Trump's victory is not China's loss

Nov 17, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

Even though there are a couple of months left before Donald Trump moves back into the White House something he will do on January 20, 2025 - analysts are asking how his victory would affect the United States relations with the world? Of particular interest is the relation with China. "A lot of people here including the government, I think are preparing for certain upheaval or storms but nobody knows," said Tang Shipping, an international professor at Fudan University in Shanghai.
India's growing Sikh problem

Nov 10, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

The Indian government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not willing to concede that the Sikh agitation inside the country as well as outside is a reaction to the rise of extremist Hinduism in India. Modi has adopted 'Hindutva', the Hindu mode of governance as the governing philosophy of the nation he leads.
How demographic change will likely affect the global order

Nov 3, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

Significant demographic changes are occurring across the globe that are likely to affect relations among nations. Immigration has become a major political issue in the United States and Western Europe. As the Democrats and Republican parties in the United States prepared their electoral programmes for the presidential poll of November 2024, controlling immigration climbed to the top of the agenda.
Pakistan may become a player in the evolving Mideast drama

Oct 14, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

Some of the actors in the deepening drama in the Middle East live either on Pakistan's volatile borders or not far from it. Iran is one of Pakistan's four immediate neighbours. It is involved in creating and helping develop what it calls the "axis of resistance". The Houthis who have been challenging the authority of Saudi Arabia operate in Yemen, which is only a short distance from Pakistan, separated by a narrow body of water from the Balochistan coast.
Diaspora's role in promoting health care in Pakistan

Oct 6, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

Physicians of Pakistani origin living and working in the United States constitute an important part of their country's diaspora. The size of the Pakistani diaspora is now estimated at 700,000 or 0.2 per cent of the American population. Those who have moved to the United States account for 0.3 per cent of the Pakistani population. As I will take up later in this article, I and one Pakistani doctor have played active roles in getting the diaspora involved in the affairs of their country.
Global economy's troubled spots

Sep 29, 2024 | tribune.com.pk | Shahid Javed Burki

If you are looking for trouble spots, you will find many all over the world. The United States and China have problems caused by the mishandling on a large scale by policymakers. Most countries faced with demands from their restive populations have resorted to state spending to provide relief to the affected people. They have done this even though they were not able to raise domestic revenues for undertaking these expenditures.