Yaqoob-ul-Hassan

After the Taliban successfully took control of Kabul through diplomatic and intimidatory means, which included using force and striking deals with warlords and local military commanders, it has reached out to other states for recognition.1 The Taliban realizes that without international recognition it would be difficult to achieve both domestic and international legitimacy.

• Published: March 2022
• Strategic Analysis

While the ruling elite including army in Pakistan considers CPEC a boon, many analysts view it as a Chinese game-plan to turn Pakistan into a permanent colony, a rentier-cum-client state.

• Published: June 30, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Pakistan’s efforts to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak may get severely constrained due to the refusal of the ulema and religious leaders to ensure that their followers abide by the rules of the lockdown and social distancing.

• Published: April 21, 2020
• IDSA Comments

This article begins with a discussion on how the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is viewed differently by different political parties as well as by the civilian and military establishments in Pakistan. The discussion then turns to Pakistan’s current economic conditions and examines whether CPEC has the potential to boost the Pakistan economy or contribute to the worsening of its economic conditions. This article also discusses how CPEC seeks to maintain a balance between geo-economic and geopolitics.

• Published: March 2020
• Strategic Analysis

The ongoing dialogue between the US and the Taliban has generated lot of interest among strategic analysts in the region and beyond. There are indications that the Taliban are hardening their position as the US appears to be in a haste to pull off an agreement.

• Published: March 2019
• Strategic Analysis

The challenge that the TLYP poses to Pakistan’s internal stability is even more dangerous than the threat of terrorism.

• Published: November 22, 2018
• IDSA Comments

With the ever increasing support and swelling number of protesters, Pashteen changed the name of the organisation from the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement to Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, a Movement for the Protection of Pashtuns.

• Published: May 04, 2018
• IDSA Comments

Research Assistant, IDSA, Dr Yaqoob Ul Hassan’s article on Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with the Middle East, titled ‘Pakistan’s Middle East Gamble’ was published in ‘South Asian Voices’, on June 8, 2017.

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• Published: 8 June, 2017

The army has quite patiently allowed Imran and Qadri to carry on with their protests and create a political condition unfavourable enough for Nawaz Sharif to approach the army for help. Thus like in 1993, Nawaz is feeling the heat even if the opposition is not united in their effort to dislodge his government.

• Published: August 08, 2014
• IDSA Comments

The Dispensable Nation provides a useful critique of the Obama administration. The author, Vali Nasr, analyses Obama’s foreign policy, especially his approach towards regions afflicted by crises, from the volatile Arab region to the badlands of South Asia. The book sheds light on the tussle between the State Department and the White House which impacts the making as well as the implementation of US foreign policy.

• Published: May 2014
• Strategic Analysis