Via Geopolitical Futures, commentary on Pakistan’s economic crisis: Decades-old political economic problems in Pakistan are coming to a head. The South Asian nation needs billions of dollars in financial assistance to avoid a default at a time when its usual patrons are disinclined to bail it out. The International Monetary Fund is insisting on […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, a look at the growing number of China BRI infrastructure projects plagued with construction flaws, adding more costs to a program already criticized for leading countries deeper into debt: Built near a spewing volcano, it was the biggest infrastructure project ever in this country, a concrete colossus bankrolled by […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, commentary on how the black market flow of U.S. dollars across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is unifying the two countries’ economic crises. On Wednesday, the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) removed the cap on the U.S. dollar’s exchange rate. This prompted the Pakistani rupee to fall by 1.2 percent, to 243 against the U.S. dollar […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Financial Times, a look at Pakistan’s dire economic condition: Pakistan’s economy is at risk of collapse, with rolling blackouts and a severe foreign currency shortage leaving businesses struggling to operate as authorities attempt to revive an IMF bailout to relieve the deepening crisis. Shipping containers full of imports are piling up at […]
Read more »Via Frontier Post, an interesting report on a thriving library in the midst of Pakistan’s ‘wild west’: When the din of Pakistan’s most notorious weapons market becomes overwhelming, arms dealer Muhammad Jahanzeb slinks away from his stall, past colleagues test-firing machine guns, to read in the hush of the local library. “It’s my hobby, my […]
Read more »Via Eurasia Review, commentary on CPEC, regional connectivity in Central Asia, And Afghan stability: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a centrepiece initiative of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). CPEC has evolved into an essential component of the BRI, connecting China’s western region to the rest of the world, including Central Asia. The BRI aspires […]
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