Mirza Abdul Aleem Baig

“The soft power of science has the potential to reshape global diplomacy” – Ahmed Zewail In a swiftly changing world where new global challenges influence every country, science is not only one of the vibrant forces in socioeconomic progress but also, promoting globalization roles that will exaggerate in the future. Science is considered as a neutral area and has no nationality. In this respect, it is comparatively easier to build up international cooperation through science rather than political or military relations. Moreover, science can play a bridging role between the nations through their scientists which have fragile political relations. It means the deployment of science as a tool of diplomacy – Science in Diplomacy, for the sake of developing better relations among nations. Science Diplomacy (SciDip) is a reflection of the significance that each country and government grants to science and technology (S&T) in designing and implementing its foreign policy. Up till now...

“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.” – Confucius It is extensively acknowledged that poverty, inequality and growth are strongly intertwined and form a complex set of triangular relations. Among the most significant is the identification that growth can contribute to poverty reduction but only if the reimbursement of the growth can reach everyone in society. Exclusively, in the case of absolute poverty, it means only if growth can help those living below some nationally or internationally specified poverty line of income escape from such poverty, and embark on some self-sustaining process of self-development and self-realization. Since the mid-1980s China has developed an extensive officialdom committed to poverty alleviation. The State Council authorized the Leading Group for the Economic Development of Poor Areas (LGEDPA) as the top anti-poverty decision-making body leading to syn...

“Elections matter, but how much they matter depends entirely on how free, open and fair they are” – Elliott Abrams With the evolution in science and technology in today’s e-society, modern information and communication systems that have resulted only do not offer easiness for people to find information, but also provides opportunity for people to articulate their wills. The exponential growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially the internet has been useful and yielded positive impact. Numerous studies have witnessed these positive impacts, for instant, in healthcare, e-government and public administrations, education etc.In developed countries ICT have been valuable to the e-societies with e-services. ICTs have brought about a completely innovative and healthier government (e-government) that is seen to be more open to the needs and aspirations of society, more democratic, and more proficient. One key aspect of e-government is the enhancement of e-demo...

http://www.diplomacypakistan.com/articles/science-technology-for-national-development-strengthening-the-st-road-map/ “The revolution in communication, energy, environmental sciences and other aspects of science and technology has imparted an importance to S&T considerations in foreign affairs undreamed of a generation ago.” – George Shultz Prior to the nineteenth century, investment in human capital was not considered especially significant in any country. Similarly, expenditures on schooling, on-the-job training, and other related forms of investment were pretty undersized. This began to transform drastically during this century with the application of science and technology (S&T) to the development of new goods and more efficient methods of production – research and development (R&D). During the twentieth century, education skills, and the acquisition of knowledge have become crucial determinants of a person’s and a nation’s productivity. One can even call the twe...

http://www.diplomacypakistan.com/articles/techopolitika-pak-sino-rd-cooperation-via-cpec/ Throughout history, integration between different regions has been a key element in enhancing economic activity and trade. This cooperation has long been facilitated by the diverse means of research and development (R&D) and technology innovations, such as railways, roads, and water & power systems etc. Technological innovation not only widened the possibilities of cultural and economic exchange, but also facilitated and fastened such interactions, promoting cooperation and setting up the bases for the globalized world in which we live today. Similarly, infrastructure investment is one of the main pillars of economic growth. It peps economic activity, generating employment and reducing trade costs, improves productivity and directly supports growth in different sectors in the economy. In 2013, the President of China, Xi Jinping, announced one of the main projects of its forei...

http://www.diplomacypakistan.com/articles/pak-sino-health-diplomacy-a-novel-paradigm-for-cpec-project/ The global developments are shifting the nature of human interaction across a wide range of social sphere including the economic, political, cultural, health and environmental. Globalization is driving a world system comprising national economies and societies that are increasingly influenced by factors outside their borders. Contemporary globalization is a driving force behind the rise of health as a foreign policy concern. Currently, many governments are implementing structural and administrative reforms aimed at improving health system performance. Many of these reforms are advocated by international organizations and consequently, the focus tends to concentrate on areas such as financing, management, and structure of health system. Among the major focus of reforms is to ensure quality health care provisions are affordable to all and that health service should be accessible ...

http://www.diplomacypakistan.com/articles/gis-for-national-security-and-counterterrorism-strategy/ At least for the last three decades, one of the most discussed topics in social sciences is terrorism and national security. However, social sciences lack a logical justification of why terrorism occurs? Why it escalates and de-escalates? Why certain types of victims are selected? And, what determines the choice of weapons? Despite some contributions by scholars from security and regional geopolitics, political science, law and international relations, the state of hypothesis, data and facts about causes of terrorism remains in hysteria. Justifiably, terrorism remains one of the security challenges of the modern world – together with organized crime, extremism, religious, ethnic and social conflicts. Identifying that terrorism is an artifact of an amalgamation of demographic, economic, and political determinants, a panel of National Research Council observes that “regions most li...