Pakistan needs to revisit policies to take advantage of globalized world: Ambassador Abdul Basit
Prof. Dr. Nouman Sattar says the trends will take start at the end of conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East and next four years of Trump administration will be crucial for emerging world order Global politics revolves around three words in cyclic order that is Power, Authority and Leadership, says Dr. Waseem Khokhar
A seminar recently organised by the Research Circle of the Department of International Relations, MY University provided in-depth insights into the current geopolitical shifts at global level and particularly in Asia and its implications for Pakistan.
The event featured prominent speakers including Ambassador Abdul Basit (former amb. To Germany, India and Russia, an author of book Hostility: A Diplomat's Diary on Pakistan-India Relations and TV host on ABN news Decipher with Abdul Basit), Professor Dr. Nouman Sattar (former Director Area Study Centre, QAU, Islamabad) and the Vice Chancellor of MY, Professor Dr. Saeed Ul Hassan Chishti in MY University, Islamabad.
Ambassador Abdul Basit delivered a keynote address at the event “The Evolving Global Order: Emerging Trends and the Rise of Multipolarity” emphasized Pakistan's strategic significance in the evolving global landscape and the imperative for the country to harness diplomacy for long-term stability and prosperity. The Ambassador highlighted the significance of bilateral relationships that Pakistan needs to focus on it while focusing on the changing international order.
He discussed the significant shift in global dynamics, where economic strength now determines a nation's success in this contemporary era. Ambassador Basit underscored the need for Pakistan to adapt to this reality by focusing on fostering economic relationships rather than relying solely on traditional political alliances.
The Ambassador also pointed that Pakistan's unique geographical location makes it as a gateway connecting to South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. He asserted that Pakistan needs to revisit its policies to take full advantage of its strategic position in the age of globalization.
He further stated that the contemporary era is characterized by an anarchic situation and is in a state of disorder due to the ongoing worsening crises in the Middle East, the Ukraine war, and US-China competition.
He said the world order remains in a state of disorder. It is full of paradoxes encompassing integration and fragmentation, economic globalization and increased protectionism/nationalism.
He maintained that from a practitioner and diplomatic lens, the US is indeed the world leader in economic, politico-diplomatic and military domains and emerging trends hinge upon the performance of UN and especially UNSC to ensure rules-based order for all the nation states. He also maintained that decisions of the Trump administration will affect the future global alignments and engagements in all domains.
While commenting on the implications for Pakistan, he argued that astute statesmanship will be required to cash onto the opportunities and ward off the challenges, especially in diplomatic domain. He endorsed that political stability in Pakistan will remain the key factor for its success or failure.
In response to a question regarding Afghanistan, he stated that Afghanistan is a reality that Pakistan as a neighboring state must understand. He called for the formulation of policies to address the security-related challenges.
Ambassador Basit stresses on maintaining long term foreign policy objectives in line with national interests to score strategic sweet spots in emerging geo-political arena.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Nouman Sattar reiterated that the trends will take start at the end of conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East and next four years of Trump administration will be crucial for emerging world order. He highlighted challenges for the United States in the context of US-Alliances, rise of China, reemergence of Russia and global economic shift towards ASEAN region.
He concluded that evolving world order remains uncertain, complex and unstable. World order has always remained in a state of flux – changing as ever. It will be a test of global institutions like the UN as to how they respond to global challenges and preserve Westphalian rules of national independence, national interests of all states and principle of non-interference.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Saeed ul Hassan Chishti, VC, MY University in his concluding remarks highlighted the significance of holding such academic undertaking for young scholars and their professional growth and progress. He praised IR Department under Prof. Dr. Muhammad Munir and Dr. Mujahid Hussain, HoD IR Department for holding the event and acknowledged the efforts of Dr. Waseem Khokhar and his team for making the seminar a success. He announced to formulate a think tank in MY University.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Munir, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities also spoke on the occasion and expressed his satisfaction on holding the event on a very relevant and significant topic. He highlighted complexities and challenges of the emerging global order amid greater disorder.
Earlier, highlighting the importance of topic, Dr. Waseem Khokhar Assistant Professor of IR Department talked about the significant shifts in the global order, including: The Rise of New Powers, Geopolitical Shifts, Evolving Dynamics of the Middle East: Post-Assad Syria and the Impact of the Israel-Hamas War, Technological Advancements, Economic Globalization and its challenges and options for Pakistan.
He highlighted that global politics revolves around three words in cyclic order that is Power, Authority and Leadership. Dr. Khokhar maintained that future of global power, authority, and leadership will not be defined by one nation or region, but by a diverse array of actors working together, often with conflicting interests, but ultimately seeking a common path forward.
