On 24, February 2022, Russia lunched a full scale war on Ukraine. Ukraine as compared to Russia is quite smaller in size having limited military resources, therefore it cannot hold their defence and doomed in a week. Ukraine as a favorite child to western democracies received lot of military aid to stop Moscow because they cannot put boots on the battle field for some political reasons. After the cold response from the NATO and the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appealed, “Anyone who wants to join the defense of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals.” Ukrainian authorities are welcoming the international individuals in their “international legion” brigade. Dozens of Americans, Canadians, and other foreigners are already trying to take up arms on the name of democracy and even they are motivated by the right wing white supremacy.

Moreover U.K. foreign secretary, Liz Truss showed her support for British nationals. The privatization of war and its support by the elected government is not a new concept. In Iraq and Afghanistan, US had used private militaries against enemies fighter to overcome their loses in the war. “Black water”, “New Century” and many more were the private militaries who got the contract over that period. From the perspective of state, private militaries are cheap and above the international law which can operate freely in the conflicted zone. It also reduce the cost of war and it also provide a way to politician to not stand accountable in front of people.  The foreign fighters and private militias are often more useful in an insurgency and civil war, Ukraine may become like Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq. For guerrilla conflicts, the foreigners’ dedication is vital and their limited firepower is less of a disadvantage. The main problem in the privatization of the military is regarding the human rights violations, discrimination between combats and non-combat is very tough to make during conflicts, greed and revenge also dictate private militias to miss-use their power over civilians. In this scenario, rational thinking should be prevail in Ukraine war and international community should discourage such irresponsible privatization of war, and  take some  necessary actions to prevent foreign fighters to enter the Ukraine for the sake of innocent people. They should learn lesson from the distractive war of Afghanistan and Middle East, where private militaries and non-state actors were used to gain political objective by the parties in the conflict.

In 2015, Iran signed a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement, which is commonly known as “Iran Nuclear Deal”. The signatories of the deal were Islamic Republic of Iran and world powers including USA, UK, Russia, France, China and Germany ( P5+1) which refers to the five permanent members of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Germany. The main purpose of the agreement was to control Iran’s nuclear program, nuclear non-proliferation in order to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and technology in Iran as well as to ensure that nuclear technology is used only for peaceful and civilian purposes.

Here is the timeline of Iran’s nuclear program which starts from 1950s Iran was the first beneficiary and signed an agreement in 1957 with Washington. The first nuclear reactor was built in 1967 with the help of US. During 1970s, Iran expanded its nuclear plan to a greater extent, in this time Iran’s relationship with western countries deteriorated due to which west support for the Iranian nuclear project came to an end. In 1984, US Department of State listed Iran as state sponsors of terrorism and sanctions were imposed. Throughout the 1990s, US monitored the activities of Iran to look any kind of transfer of material and technology that could help in developing any conventional weapons. In early 2000s, covert nuclear program sites in Natanz and Arak for uranium enrichment were revealed by Iran to which International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution against Tehran to suspend its nuclear activities. Iran’s first domestically made satellite launched in 2009, which increased the concerns of the international community over the potential growth of ballistic missiles.

Till 2014, “Two Track Diplomacy” was followed by the major powers as they encouraged Iran for diplomatic negotiations, at the same time sanctions were being imposed on Iran’s energy and finance sectors. All these events led to the nuclear deal, a landmark accord reached in 2015 which brought together the permanent members of UN Security Council and the European Union for a shared commitment. Under the deal, Iran dismantled much of its nuclear program and opened the nuclear sites for inspection, in return sanctions were lifted and Iran was allowed to make economic relations with the international community. Iran agreed to restrain nuclear activities and it was assured by US that no new sanctions will be imposed.

When Donald Trump came into power in 2018, a unilateral American withdrawal from nuclear deal was observed and again sanctions in 2020 were imposed on Iran specifically on its oil sector for not acting in accordance with deal. However, the IAEA repeatedly corroborated that Iran has complied all the nuclear deal obligations. Other signatory members of Iran Nuclear deal objected the decision taken by US and said “United States cannot unilaterally invoke “snapback” sanctions because it withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018”. These members have interests in Iran because of its significant geostrategic location, also suggested by various analysts after JCPOA that it is a “roadmap for cooperation”. The nuclear deal was of great importance for all the stakeholders including; Iran, P5+1 as well as MENA countries. The prospects of the deal were to strengthen Iran’s position in the Middle East, economy, infrastructure, and political aspects. For EU, extensive trade and investment opportunities were predicted and the issues of concern like the nuclear program, regional security will be discussed with framework and negotiations. Despite of Washington’s isolationist policy, European Union has good relations and a unique approach towards Tehran.

On the other side, Russia did not follow the move of US.  Russia was highly disappointed and slammed the decision by considering it as a blatant violation of international law and continued to maintain bilateral relations with Iran in political, economic and military areas. Since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal, Russia has become an advocate of the deal and has made active diplomatic efforts to induce its Western European signatories to resume economic relations with Iran despite US sanctions. The relationship between Russia and Iran is essentially based on geopolitical and strategic factors. The strategic relationship is mostly based on their shared objective in limiting US influence; Tehran is primarily concerned with the regional dimension while Moscow considers global perspective. The Russian leadership view Iran as a vital partner with whom it shares a number of objectives; who understands power dynamics and is ready to seek practical solutions where Moscow and Tehran’s interests diverge.

The Joe Biden administration after coming to power in 2021 pledged to revive the nuclear deal to which Iran also agreed on a condition of indirect involvement, talks resumed in November in Vienna. Last month on 23rd Feb 2022, a European Union representative to talks said “We are nearing the end” over the success or failure of renewed Iran nuclear deal. The next day Russia-Ukraine crisis erupted, for the UK, US and EU have imposed sanctions on Russia’s oil, gas and financial sector, trade and travel restrictions also made, in response to that Russia has also banned exports. According to the participants of talks, the deal was on the verge of being finalized after a year of discussions. But, last-minute demands from Russia, one of the deal’s signatories, have threatened to undermine the efforts to revive JCPOA. Russia has said it wants assurance that Western sanctions imposed on Moscow will not prohibit Russia from doing business and military cooperation with Iran. The outcome of the current intensive discussions in Vienna aimed at restoring Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and Iran’s relationship with Russia now has to be foreseen in coming days.

UKRAINIAN REFUGEES; IMPACT ON EUROPEAN UNION

BY HAMNA SEYYED

                  The crisis comes unexpectedly and is often unforeseen. Similarly, the Russian and Ukrainian forces’ abrupt war on 24th February 2022, was unexpected and left Ukraine in a chaotic situation. The destruction caused by the military invasion created unlivable circumstances for the Ukrainians and they had to leave. Therefore, it led to conflict-induced migration and the displacement of the Ukrainians. Once again Europe is dealing with the refugees as it did back in 2015. As per the United Nations, 100,000 Ukrainians are already being displaced.

For the time being, Refugees are being welcomed by the European Union states like Poland, which plans to host up to 1 million Ukrainians, as well as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova, where 4,000 Ukrainians came, are among the host countries. Yet, these countries are presently unprepared to stop the influx of refugees expected to arrive on their borders in the coming weeks. Hosting refugees is not an easy task at all. The major receiving countries in Central Europe can simply lack the capacity to address such needs on a large scale and over a long period.  Conflict-Induced Migration is supposed to be temporary but the migrants or refugees can only be sent back once the conflict from their homeland gets over but the situation does not seem to get fine in Ukraine.  Ukrainians’ needs range beyond the supply of temporary food, clothing, and shelter to get them through. They are at risk of being evacuated for a longer duration, which requires institutional pathways to legal status, reintegration services, housing, education, and healthcare. Refugees also require mental and social rehabilitation. Living in the era of the pandemic, they also require vaccination against Covid-19. Not only this, but European Union states still have to do a lot more for them, it will entail creating a regional resettlement plan and ensuring that overpopulation does not occur. Ukrainians may stay in the EU for up to three months without a visa, but it’s uncertain what sort of legal status they will have further than that. That has to be handled as well. The refugee crisis in Ukraine provides Europe with not only an important opportunity to prove its humanitarian values and commitment to the international refugee protection regime but it also offers a critical interesting perspective that now it is a challenge for Europe that whether it will be able to embrace the humanist spirit of the ‘’1951 Refugee Convention’’ or not. All the European states have different systems that they follow but, it will be mandatory for all member states to apply the provisions of this Convention. According to Article 3 of the Convention, ‘’The Contracting States shall apply the provisions of this Convention to refugees without discrimination as to race, religion or country of origin.’’

The best-case scenario can be that the violent conflict transforms and the pull factors in Ukraine shall be created so the refugees voluntarily return to Ukraine. The worst-case scenario can be analyzed in a way that if the conflict prolongs, the refugees have to stay for a longer period in the European Union states. This will be challenging to tackle.  As a refugee or the conflict-induced migrant is the one who is coming from the conflict zone and brings a lot of grievances along with him, survival will always remain the priority and he will fight for it to an extent. If the refugees are not taken proper care of by the host states, the threat of host-stranger conflict can arise. It has been assessed that the refugees often have a cut-throat policy. Refugees can pose a threat to the national security of the states and their ability to govern. One of the examples of the refugee issues is of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Who knew that the conflict in Afghanistan will remain protracted? Pakistan is facing a refugee crisis now. We live in the world of globalization and it has both, advantages and disadvantages.  Pakistan’s culture and security did get affected by the Afghan refugees. The Refugees create an economic burden in the host states and because of this instability can be caused. Refugee identity crises have also seen to emerge in the case of many refugees throughout history. Refugees can pose a threat to a state’s sovereignty. Furthermore, the security issues like cross-border terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal trade activities cannot be neglected. The root causes of the refugee’s problems have to be addressed and in the case of Ukrainian refugees, European Union states that are dealing with the refugees shall play a diplomatic role in terms of the Ukraine-Russia war. It will not only help the refugees but the European Union itself as well. European Union needs to be proactive and adopt policies for the refugees for the short, as well as a longer period of time with United Nations’ assistance.

Oman is the nearest Arab country to Pakistan, because of this, they both share a maritime boundary with each other. Pakistan and Oman cooperate in diverse sectors to enhance the bilateral economic, military and trade relations. Pakistan and Oman share common interests in ensuring maritime security and free flow of commerce through the region. Accordingly, navies of the two countries have been cooperating on a wide range of issues in maritime domain. Both navies have been regularly participating in Maritime Security Operations at sea. In the area of human resource, PN is providing officers and men on deputation to Omani Navy to support RNO in fulfilling its maritime and naval obligations. The two navies have also been closely collaborating in the field of training of respective officers and men.

This year The Pakistan Navy and Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) participated in the naval exercise ‘Thamar Al Tayyib 2021’ (TAT-21) in the North Arabian Sea. The exercise conducted in Pakistani territorial waters from December 13-18 included the participation of surface and air units, besides special operations forces from both navies. The Omani Navy Task Group comprised RNO ships Al Dhaferah and Al Seeb. Maritime patrol aircraft of Royal Air Force of Oman also participated in the exercise. The sea phase of the exercise comprised counter-terrorism, anti-air and anti-surface warfare operations with an overall aim to curb illicit activities at sea. Exercises between the two navies have regularly been conducted since 1990. The last exercise in the TAT series was conducted in Oman waters in 2019. During the harbour phase of the exercise, operational and tactical-level discussions and pre-exercise conferences were conducted. The sea phase of the exercise included counter-terrorism training, anti-air and anti-surface warfare operations with a focus on curbing illicit activities at sea, according to the official statement. Gwadar Port and Salalah Port can be used to create efficient communication channels between the two countries because both ports possess excellent infrastructure and other facilities.  Regular conduct of bilateral naval exercise between the Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman are indicative of long-standing brotherly relations between the two countries in general and both navies in particular.

The Houthis have a complex relationship with Yemen’s Sunni Muslims. The movement has discriminated against Sunnis, but also recruited and allied with them. Under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthis, the group emerged as an opposition to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they charged with massive financial corruption and criticized for being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

The Houthi movement attracts its Zaidi-Shia followers in Yemen by promoting regional political-religious issues in its media, including the overarching U.S.  Israeli conspiracy theory and Arab “collusion”. In 2003, the Houthis’ raised a slogan, “God is great, death to the U.S, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam”, and it became the group’s trademark. Houthis officials, however, have rejected the literal interpretation of the slogan. Iran is widely accused of backing the Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite movement that has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. The Houthis took control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014 and continued on towards Aden, Yemen’s largest city. In response to Houthi advances, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states launched a military campaign in March 2015.

Recently, The Houthi armed group has fired artillery and ballistic missiles indiscriminately into populated areas of Yemen’s Marib governorate resulting in civilian casualties, including women and children, and causing a new wave of civilian displacement. And now Houthi rebel attack on the Saudi Arabian town of Jizan resulted in two casualties and seven injured. The Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Royal Saudi Armed Forces and Yemeni Houthi forces that has been taking place in the Arabian Peninsula, including the southern Saudi regions of Asir, Jizan, and Najran, and northern Yemeni governorates of Saada, Al Jawf, and Hajjah since the onset of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen in 2015. On December 7, 2021, Reuters reported that the Saudi-led coalition bombed military targets in the capital Sanaa after the Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and armed drones into Saudi Arabia.

What is happening in the conflict now?

As the war has dragged on, Houthis have stepped up the boldness of their attacks on Saudi Arabia. Using drones and missiles, the Houthis have launched attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and military sites.

While Houthi attacks have failed to cause massive devastation, they have been enough to rattle global oil markets. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have more than doubled this year compared to last year. CSIS records 78 Houthi attacks per month this year on Saudi Arabia, compared with 38 a month in 2020.

In Yemen, there is much criticism of the Saudi-led coalition’s attacks for targeting civilians in one of the world’s poorest countries. More than 80% of the population of 30 million requires food assistance. Estimates on the number of fatalities caused by the conflict vary widely, though at least some 130,000 have been killed over the course of the conflict. By contrast, the UN estimates the conflict will have claimed 377,000 by the end of the year, both through the direct and indirect consequences of war, such as disease and starvation.

Effective Implementation of UNSCR 1540 in Research and Academia: the Role of CBRN Security Culture

The Afghan Peace Process has welcoming prospects for Pakistan, which is an immediate neighbor of Afghanistan. The two neighboring countries have shared tortuous relations in the past, but the peace talks are expected to have a positive impact on their relations. The peace talks provide Pakistan an opportunity to strengthen its presence in the regional politics. The Afghan Peace Process will help Pakistan suppress the antagonistic actors in Afghanistan from prospering. The initiation of peace process was the extensive diplomatic effort by Pakistan that made the process to follow the path ahead smoothly for which Pakistan was appreciated by USA. Pakistan is ambitious to project herself as a peace loving State and also that the prosperity of the region is closely linked to having peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan has been making sure since the beginning that the peace process is completely Afghan owned and no external factors gain access to any kind of interference.

To encourage and improve the trade and investment relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, National Assembly Pakistan has organized a two-day seminar titled “Pakistan and Afghanistan Investment and Trade Forum” on Monday 28th, 2020. Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed to the seminar as chief guest. 17-member Afghan parliamentary delegation, led by Speaker of Wolsey Jirga Mr Rahmani are also a part of this seminar. The USAID Pakistan has extended a supportive hand for the sake of regional connectivity and integration initiative. While addressing to the seminar, Prime Minister Imran Khan along with NA Speaker Asad Qaiser and Speaker of Afghan Wolesi Jirga (Afghanistan’s parliament) Mir Rahman Rahmani insisted on boosting the trade and investment between Pakistan and Afghanistan to generate more wealth and to encourage the industrialization. They also emphasized that the normalization of traffic between states will improve the condition of trade that has been damaged further by the pandemic.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the connection between Pakistan and Afghanistan is quite old and no foreign interference has ever succeeded in Afghanistan. He further explained that Afghani people have always taken their own decisions and Pakistan will be happy to work with any government that Afghani nation will choose. Prime Minister sympathetically said that the 40 years of tragedy in Afghanistan is unfortunate and it has been effecting Pakistan for past 18 years as well. He also suggested that dwelling in past has only causes mistrust but we, as nations, need to look beyond it to reassure transit trade and future investments. Following are the economic peace dividends for Pakistan and Afghanistan if the Peace Process materializes:

The first and the most significant dividend of the Peace Process is the Afghan-Pakistan trade. Both countries will be able to continue trade without the irritant of smuggling of timber, mineral resources and other goods. Afghan Peace Process will pave the way for traders to do open and legal trade which will eradicate the illicit trade in form of smuggling. This will

encourage the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in both countries to enhance legal trade of goods and products.
The second dividend, also economic in nature, relates to creation of regional energy corridor. The end of instability, and war offers Afghanistan and Pakistan a safe corridor into Central Asia. This would create a regional energy corridor from Sixth, Central Asia into South Asia. The economy of Afghanistan can flourish if it can earn revenues by levying the TAPI Pipeline. Afghanistan will be able to extract royalties from these projects and also meet her energy requirements. Moreover, peace in Afghanistan, the “Heart of Asia,” will allow Pakistan and other South Asian countries to connect with Central Asia, which offers a great opportunity at developing Central Asia-South Asia (CASA) electricity transmission line.

Thirdly, it is significant for Pakistan’s national interest to have a peaceful border at the western end. The success of the Afghan Peace talks can guarantee peace within Pakistan. If the Afghan government, Taliban and the US find common grounds as a result of negotiations, it will be advantageous in helping curb the terrorism that has caused immense damage to both nations. This will be vital for safeguarding Pakistan’s security interests along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Peace and stability in Afghanistan is in the utmost interest of Pakistan.

The fourth dividend of the Peace Process relates to the role of Pakistan as a negotiator in the Afghan Peace process. The Peace Talks help Pakistan in building up her pragmatic image globally. During the entire process, Pakistan represents itself as a country that is dedicated to peaceful development in the region. Stability in Afghanistan will bring out the positive and peace-loving image of Pakistan to the world, Pakistan will have a peaceful neighborhood. The rigorous efforts as a negotiator have helped Pakistan gather international appreciation. Pakistan holds a significant position in the Afghan Peace Process because as a central player, attaining peace and stability in Afghanistan would not be possible without her participation. The Afghan peace talks are not only a golden opportunity for achieving peace in Afghanistan but offer a chance for Pakistan to gain a reputation of “Peace Promoter,” at the international chessboard of politics.

Fifthly, the efforts of Pakistan demonstrate her clear intentions for Afghanistan. The dedicated efforts on both sides will help regain the lost trust and push both countries towards mutual cooperation. Reducing the trust deficit is crucial for building peace in the region.

Sixth, the active participation of Pakistan in ensuring peace in Afghanistan will subsequently lessen the influence of India in the region and in Afghanistan. This is important because India, an aggressor state, has been taking advantage of the hinges between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both trade-wise and as well sentimentally. The Peace Process holds a tantamount position in the relationship of both countries.

Seventh, if Pakistan is able to lessen the influence of adversaries in Afghanistan, it would augment the communication between the leadership and the people on both sides of the border.

The Peace Process will restart the trade, freedom of movement, economic prosperity, and strengthening of defense between Pakistan and Afghanistan which will eventually help the economies to travel towards betterment since Pakistan also provides the shortest access to the sea for landlocked countries. If Pakistan’s objective of bringing peace in Afghanistan materializes, great dividends for both countries will just be one arm’s length away.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused around 290,000 deaths and at least 4.3 million confrimed cases worldwide.The persistence of pandemic has caused a amjor economic crisis and ressesion. Self-isolation and social distanceing has showed a huge downward shift in all economic sectors globally and stock markets have gone to new highs. Agriculture sector has faced 20% decline in demand because of safety measures that have been imposed. These imposition have caused a big loss of perishable goods. Panic buyinh has caused a shiratge to whatever was already available.

Analysis of the countries hit by the second wave of Coronavirus:
United Kingdom:

⦁ The prime minister of United Kingdom shared a warning that the second wave in UK is leaving it to be at a critical point. Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance corroborated the idea by adding that UK is expected to face 50,000 per day in October 2020, but the speed of virus spreading has reduced than before.
⦁ North-West and North-East are badly hit along with Liverpool, Manchester and New Castle where the rate of infection has increased by 10%.

⦁ Hospitals in UK are admitting only the patients with serious symptoms. Cases have seen a decline in Northern Ireland but there is a continuous threat of rising. UK can expect what is coming from France where cases started emerging again earlier than UK.

⦁ There is a threat of more people losing their lives in winter than usual in UK. People catch respiratory illnesses and flu due to harsh winter WEATHER which causes deaths, but now there is a new virus with possibly no vaccine up till now has become a new major threat for UK.

Canada:

⦁ Canada is weeks into seconf wave of pandemic and there are 2,5000 new cases have been reported across the State.
⦁ The cases of hospitalization have increased in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Manitoba showed a deadly hike in cases, 150 in one day, and now is under lockdown, whereas cases in Saskatchewan have simply doubled.
⦁ There are 783 new cases in Ontario and 239 in Toronto along with five new reported deaths. Ontario has hired 100 new people to help and track new cases of infection and more to be hired by November 2020.
⦁ Canada reported record 2,554 new cases on October 9th alone. Quebec has reported 969 new cases and eight deaths. 844 cases were reported only between October 14th and 15th.

China:

⦁ The Chinese people fear the outbreak of second wave of coronavirus as new cases in China resurged.
⦁ According to the authorities the second wave of coronavirus is likely to take happen because the borders have been opened again.
⦁ The Director of the Infectious Disease Department at Huashan Hospital, Zhang Wenhong, said that if even if an effective vaccine is develop it will take almost a year to become widely available.
⦁ He further asserted that identifying virus can be a challenge for the health workers sometimes because some people show mild to no symptoms. Moreover, the virus is likely to exist in China in the winters and coming spring.
⦁ To control the outbreak, Yunnan, a southwestern province of China is under a complete lockdown, to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in the province as the neighboring country Myanmar is seeking a hike in cases.
⦁ To avoid a large scale outbreak of second wave of Covid-19, the authorities are carrying out checks in every province and municipality.
⦁ However, the outbreak has helped China to strengthen its ties with Europe. They have expanded their relationship in the field of health. Millions of masks, health suits, and medical equipment reached Europe from China.

India:

⦁ India is experiencing its second wave of Covid-19 as the number of new cases keeps increasing each day. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray said that more people have started going out of their homes to work which is causing the virus to spread rapidly. He urged the people to strictly comply with the Covid-19 SOPs.
⦁ The lockdown and the coronavirus has brought serious consequences for the Indian economy. But some reports also suggest that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) called for another lockdown in the country.
⦁ A rapid hike in the coronavirus is seen in Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Odisha.
⦁ The cases reported daily in India has reached as high as 90,000 and Delhi is reporting the highest number of cases each day.
⦁ India has reached the second position in the world in terms of most number of coronavirus cases.
⦁ The India’s fragile healthcare system has experienced an exponential rise in the cases of coronavirus.
⦁ India is not only facing health crisis but also financial difficulties. The Indian GDP has crashed and the unemployment has skyrocketed. Private investment has become negligible while inflation is increasing.
⦁ In these difficult times, another challenge that India faces is the shortage of doctor. The stats suggest that for every 1000 patients that require medical treatment, less than one doctor is available. The situation in the rural areas of India is a completely different story.
⦁ Indian authorities do not only need to start more testing and adopt early detection mechanisms but most importantly they must focus on spreading mass awareness in the country. The people must be compelled to take preventive measures if the growth of virus has to be slowed down.
⦁ Here is the graph showing the rapid increase in cases daily in India in comparison with other South Asian Countries.

⦁ In some areas cases are decreasing as the numbers of positive cases are increasing but on the other hand, in multiple states in India where cases are increasing & government is calling it as a second wave.
⦁ Many analysts including Dr. Randeep Guleria said the trend of rising cases indicates that the Covid-19 curve may not flatten very soon. He expects cases to rise further over the next few months and continue into early next year & India has to deal with it.

Brazil:

⦁ Brazil has reported more than five million coronavirus infections and the state of São Paulo is experiencing the worst health crisis. Colombia is the next worst hit region of the country, were 27,495 people have died.
⦁ The Brazilian authorities have been accused of not taking the virus seriously, as a result of which the cases increased in the country. The government officials labelled it as a “little flu.”
⦁ The Brazilian government has placed a ban on gatherings, parties and shut down the bars as the coronavirus cases are increasing again.
⦁ The shopping malls and restaurants are now following restricted hours.

United States:

⦁ The US braces itself for the second wave of COVID-19, many experts have different opinions. Some say that the second wave is not going to be that deadly in comparison to the start of COVID-19.
⦁ Scientists warn that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, and that cases are rising in close to 30 states.
⦁ A lot of things have been changed after the first pandemic when hospitals were full, people were scared and the country kept facing new crisis.
⦁ The mortality rate has been dropping in many countries. The total confirmed cases in the US reached 7,718,948, with a death toll of 214,377, accounting for 2.78 percent, when COVID-19 hit the U.S for the first time according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

⦁ In some areas cases are decreasing as the numbers of positive cases are increasing but on the other hand, in multiple states in India where cases are increasing & government is calling it as a second wave.
⦁ Many analysts including Dr. Randeep Guleria said the trend of rising cases indicates that the Covid-19 curve may not flatten very soon. He expects cases to rise further over the next few months and continue into early next year & India has to deal with it.

Brazil:

⦁ Brazil has reported more than five million coronavirus infections and the state of São Paulo is experiencing the worst health crisis. Colombia is the next worst hit region of the country, were 27,495 people have died.
⦁ The Brazilian authorities have been accused of not taking the virus seriously, as a result of which the cases increased in the country. The government officials labelled it as a “little flu.”
⦁ The Brazilian government has placed a ban on gatherings, parties and shut down the bars as the coronavirus cases are increasing again.
⦁ The shopping malls and restaurants are now following restricted hours.

United States:

⦁ The US braces itself for the second wave of COVID-19, many experts have different opinions. Some say that the second wave is not going to be that deadly in comparison to the start of COVID-19.
⦁ Scientists warn that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, and that cases are rising in close to 30 states.
⦁ A lot of things have been changed after the first pandemic when hospitals were full, people were scared and the country kept facing new crisis.
⦁ The mortality rate has been dropping in many countries. The total confirmed cases in the US reached 7,718,948, with a death toll of 214,377, accounting for 2.78 percent, when COVID-19 hit the U.S for the first time according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

⦁ According to the graph, cases are increasing but Americans are satisfied with their medical conditions & following the precautions to avoid COVID-19. Things might change in winters if the precautions are ignored.
⦁ A “huge surge” expected to take off in October “and accelerate in November and December.” The country is currently seeing about 765 daily deaths from Covid-19, but that number could jump to 3,000 daily deaths by late December.

Status of Vaccine:

⦁ As world is competing to discover a vaccine, it is highly unlikly that vaccine will be available for mass immunization. It is consiered that healthy young people will be last to receive it. WHO is looking to organize a guide to priototize the groups that need immediate help. According to WHO, 150 vaccines have be tested and 42 have been tried on humans.
⦁ Until the vaccine of effective treatment is developed, the countries are implementing social distancing, universal mask-wearing, frequent hand sanitize, and try to avoid crowded places. This is the only solution to slow down the second Wave of COVID 19.

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting..

–Franklin D. Roosevelt

The result of the US General Election Campaign 2020 will have an impact all around the world. The race of being next in the White House has already begun in the United States of America. Unlike other countries, in United States there are only two parties that are considered by the voters, Republican a right wing party and the Democratic Party i.e. the party of the leftist and the liberals. Winning the 2018 midterm elections, many Democrats anticipated that they will be successful in unseating Donald Trump in the general elections in 2020. Among the top Democrats running for the election are Joe Biden, Obama’s VP, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg. While there are two main candidates that are representing the Republican Party. Donald Trump has started his campaign for a second term, while he is being challenged by a fellow Republican William Weld.

The numbers of Joe Biden have dropped and now he is being topped by Bernie Sanders. After the win in the New Hampshire, support for Sanders is likely to increase. On the other hand, the numbers of Elizabeth Warren are also on a decline. A controversy surrounded her after her year old tweet about running a DNA test for being Native American was surfaced in media. Accusations on Joe Biden by a former Nevada Lawmaker Lucy Flores have also being weighing him down publically. A response to this accusation was Biden’s statement that he will work for ending violence against women. Biden is relying heaving on the votes of African- American voters in South Carolina.

Michael Bloomberg was accused of paying the audience to cheer for him, despite his uninspiring and spiritless performance during the presidential debate. Bernie Sanders, although a first Jewish presidential nominee is accused of being anti-sematic, less Jewish. This is possibly happening because of the Sander’s conflicts with the American Jewish leadership and Israeli leadership. Bernie Sanders has strict views towards Israel and critiques got this golden opportunity to accuse Sanders after he got into a quarrel with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Sanders refused to attend the committee meeting because he believed that it was a platform where leaders “express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights”. These statements by Sanders came after he won the Nevada caucuses, which make him a clear forerunner in the Democrats presidential race. The meeting of pro-Israel lobby was to be held in the beginning of March. AIPAC viewed these statements as an outrageous attack, especially for the US- Israel relationship. However, the bigger source of conflict other than not attending the meeting came after Sanders debate in December where he argued that Israel should only be given aid if the treat Palestinians better. He further said that America should not only be pro-Israel but also be pro-Palestine. Sanders earlier has called Netanyahu a racist and has been very critical of his policies.

Apart from this earnest controversies have come up against Donald Trump too. The American intelligence is said to warn the US lawmakers of the possible intervention by the Russians in 2020 General Elections to re-elect Donald Trump for the second term. Controversies have always remained a part of the election campaigns in the US, it is not something particular to these elections only. In this fight between Jews and Sanders, Donald Trump played his cards very well. Jews are voters of Democrats mostly. In order to secure Jewish vote bank in his favor, Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem and proposed a peace plan for Middle East. The allies of Trump believe that the statements of Sanders will just make victory easier for them. The 59th US presidential elections are scheduled for 3rd November 2020. The winner will be inaugurated on January 20th 2021. The race of becoming the final presidential nominee will end in July at the Democratic National Convention.

The United States of America and India have come a long way from being crestfallen to being fully cooperative with each other on strategic concerns and matters. While the association between two States became sore amid India’s nuclear ambitions in 1998, Bill Clinton, former president of USA, revitalized the ties in 2000 and since then the strategic and economic ties have only gotten sturdier.  Fast forward to 2019, as per Indian Ministry of External Affairs, India was anticipated to acquire $18 billion worth of arsenal from USA along with bilateral military exercises. USA based Indian diaspora has also been very active in promoting India’s interests and popularity. Indians are also among the richest immigrant communities in the USA. Despite the fact that India is the US’s largest trading partner, they do business of about $142 billion a year. The USA filed a lawsuit in the World Trade Organization against India and called it a source for US’s trade deficit by subsidizing exports.

On February 24^th of 2020, US President Donald Trump addressed the Indian audience in Ahmedabad during visiting India to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While being on stage President Trump proclaimed to be all set to sell arsenal, energy and “best and most feared” military equipment of worth whopping $3 billion to India. While making all the statements that Indian media, political leadership and audience wanted to hear, President Trump made a comment that sent a chill down their spines. President Trump, while standing on Indian stage placed on Indian soil, said that the USA is now enjoying good relations with Pakistan and all the efforts made by Pakistan are paying off well in progressing towards a new beginning, harmony, stability and reduced tensions. President Trump did not just stop there, he went on and said that the Trump administration is working very closely and positively with Pakistan to decrease the risk of militancy along the border.

President Trump’s statements praising Pakistan for its efforts on Indian soil were not well received by Indian media and leadership. As Pakistani media, leadership and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi highlighted that the importance of these statements cannot be denied, Indian media went frenzy and kept bringing up the past references of terror attacks to keep the reputation of Modi government intact. The statements in favor of Pakistan made the Modi government concerned to the level where PM Modi refused to hold an unscripted press conference to avoid any more controversy which might have further killed the euphoria of Indian audience. The reference of having good relations with Pakistan at a public meeting with PM Modi cannot be accidental on part of American president and US’s soft policy towards Pakistan qualifies to be an irritant for India in pursuit of having great strategic partnership with the USA.

Among all the commendations for the Modi government, President Trump was unsuccessful in mentioning his remarks over the protest happening in India over its Citizenship Amendment Act and religious persecution of Muslims minority in India. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s media and political leadership is thrilled to have received an acknowledgment for their efforts, whereas Indian media has tried it best to curb the idea that Pakistan is a partner in bringing and maintaining. President Trump’s acknowledgment of Pakistan’s efforts is not only a manifestation of Pakistan’s successful foreign policy but also have given legitimacy to Pakistan’s and its citizens sacrifices worldwide. The praising statements have given a blow to India’s hoax narrative that Pakistan is the problem, rather Pakistan is a part of solution in peace process which is clearly reflected by Pakistan’s active participation in US-Taliban peace talks.