By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront R ussian backed rebels who have been fighting in eastern Ukraine have proclaimed a new state for the areas they control (around 19 provinces) in July 2017.  The rebels have named it ‘Malorossiya’ or ‘Little Russia’, a lingual derivative of a historical ethnic province, completely coincidental to the current day, where once it’s ruling feudal baron pled allegiance to the Russian Czar. The history of conflict actually goes back to more than thirty-three years. Around 10,000 people have been killed and 1.6 million people have been displaced. Since 2014, Moscow has consistently denied involvement for fighting in the area. This claim,  has been contested though.  Some even claim that Kremlin has for a long time backed an insurgency and that many rebels have been Russian soldiers. The Associated Press members,  have documented how Moscow has been propping up the separatists in Ukraine with funds, weapons an...

By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront B alochistan has been notoriously nicknamed as ‘Pakistan’s Killing Field’.  After four insurgencies in 1948, 1953, 1978 and 2004 (which continues till this date), it has largely been a known fact that political and socio-cultural alienation is the heart of the matter in the largest province of Pakistan. When Pervez Musharraf, former President of Pakistan, launched military offensives inside tribal administered areas including Balochistan, the strategy had been quite inconsistent, unlike strategy of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who made cordial political relations with Balochi leaders like Nawab Akbar Bugti in events like the grand ceremony of Sibi Durbar. Jinnah had visited Balochistan and made pacts with Balochis in his last years of life. Also, he had made some inevitable promises including their decision to join Pakistan through a referendum and also safeguarding their interests through ensuring aut...

Source: Google By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront It seemed that Cypriot leaders would finally break the ice for a settlement. In a series of negotiations from June 28th to July 7th in 2017, Nicos Anastasiades, Cyprus’s president and Mustafa Akinci, his Turkish-Cypriot counterpart, were determined to reunite the divided island. But the deal unexpectedly turned into a failure. In the Swiss town of Crans Montana, the prospect of broking a deal for resolution of Cyprus dispute was high. An enthusiastic debate on dinner at the Swiss Alpine Resort stretched throughout the night. The deal had eventually turned into a failure because the arduous talks on power sharing arrangements, reshaping territorial boundaries and several economic agendas of the Cypriot State were declared unsuccessful. Many fear that it could have been the last chance for the country for a successful political resolution. Before this, in 2004, there had been a chance for a political solution when Cyprus e...

By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront T he UK general election of 2017 produced one of the most precarious political settlements in recent British history. Theresa May’s Conservatives won the largest number of seats (317 out of 650), but fell short of an outright majority, leading to a hung parliament. In the aftermath, the government entered a confidence-and-supply agreement with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by Arlene Foster. The DUP’s 10 MPs became decisive for maintaining Conservative governance. The election had been dominated by Brexit. May called a snap election on 18 April 2017, hoping to strengthen her parliamentary position ahead of negotiations with the European Union. However, the gamble weakened her authority instead. As reported by BBC News and The Guardian, the campaign was marked by her decision to avoid live televised leader debates, instead relying on controlled interviews and set-piece appearances. The political backdrop remained the...