iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Ejaz Haider. Azeema Cheema, and Professor Farhan Siddiqi, unpack the 🇵🇰 🇸🇦 🇹🇷 Joint Defence Agreement. Do watch: youtu.be/iFAJpwC6YzM?...

youtu.be

InFocus With Ejaz Haider EP 95: Unpacking MJDA

YouTube video by CSSPR

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Ejaz Haider dismantles the 🇵🇰 🇸🇦 🇹🇷 joint defence agreement in his latest: ‘Upgrading the wording to simulate an alliance creates a dangerous expectation of mutual defence that none of the three states is structurally or politically prepared to fulfil.’ www.thefridaytimes.com/12-Aug-2026/...

thefridaytimes.com

Stop Hyperventilating Over MJDA; It’s Mostly Husk

It is actually good that the MJDA has more bark than bite. If it has to be celebrated, let’s celebrate it as strategic hedging than a meaningful military pact

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Ejaz Haider explains legitimacy has 3 sources: input (folks participating), output (govts perform) & structural (adherence to constitutional principles). Pakistan’s rulers have shredded 1 & 3, and can’t deliver 2. Hence “system has collapsed”. Watch ⬇️: youtu.be/d-g03TC85HA?...

youtu.be

RULE BY LAW OR RULE OF LAW?

YouTube video by Independent Pakistan

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

What’s the different between stupidity & foolishness ? And is stupidity worse than evil? A great walkthrough on a very important philosophical question: youtu.be/uwyLGiyDa2g?...

youtu.be

The 3 ways stupidity spreads throughout a society | Jonny Thomson

YouTube video by Big Think Clips

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

“The central lesson of Iran’s history with the US, and more specifically with Trump, is simple: never make concessions on the basis of future promises.” Ejaz Haider explains why Tehran isn’t in a rush to make a deal: www.dawn.com/news/2020030

dawn.com

UNDERSTANDING IRAN’S WAR STRATEGY

With the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East and their escalation, many concerns have understandably been expressed in

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

In today’s Dawn I review Andrew Seth Meyer’s To Rule all Under Heaven: A History of Classical China from Confucius to the First Emperor- it’s a great book and it explains a lot about Chinese ideals of good bureaucracy and meritocracy: www.dawn.com/news/2018206

dawn.com

NON-FICTION: THE FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN CHINA

The real transformation of China began more than two millennia ago. Now a remarkable, deeply researched work of extraordinary

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Had a long conversation (English language) with Raja Jawad about history, regional variations in development, Pakistan, politics, corruption, etc - Why Changing Leaders doesn’t change Pakistan: youtu.be/zK1A3i6mDdE?...

youtu.be

Why Pakistan Keeps Repeating the Same Patterns | Prof. Ilhan Niaz

YouTube video by Kaisay with Raja Jawad

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Had a good discussion with Shayan on the How does it work? Podcast about Pakistan, world affairs and what lies ahead: youtu.be/YeHvahzmaMY?...

youtu.be

AJK Crisis: Winning Abroad, Losing at home? Ft. Ilhan Niaz

YouTube video by How Does It Work Podcast

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Dilawar Hussain, a former student of mine, has just authored his first book. It is on the Senate of Pakistan and is based on his doctoral dissertation. I hope there will be India and Pakistan editions as well. Be sure to recommend it to your libraries/unis: www.bloomsbury.com/us/senate-of...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Ejaz Haider and Trita Parsi have a wide-ranging, informative, and engaging discussion on the US war on Iran and how it is emerging as an inflection point: youtu.be/b_XHx5kGmvE?...

youtu.be

InFocus With Ejaz Haider EP92: US-Iran War, Inflection Point for the Gulf

YouTube video by CSSPR

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Earlier today my review of Selena Wisnom’s new book, The Library of Ancient Wisdom, appeared in Dawn. You can listen to the author describe ancient Mesopotamian science and culture and how the modern world stands on its foundations: youtu.be/bhcdT4tb1Rw?...

youtu.be

Selena Wisnom — Mesopotamian Religion and the History of Science

YouTube video by The Engelsberg Seminars

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

My review of Selena Wisnom’s The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia & the Making of the Modern World. If you can read just one history book this summer, then make it this one, because, with all the firsts achieved by Mesopotamia, there’s no point in picking up the story at a later point.

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Shahid Anwar turned his notes on my 2022 book Downfall: Lessons for our Final Century, into a presentation using AI. You can see his summary here & the book is free to download from CSCR: www.academia.edu/168388821/Sh...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Moeed Yusuf writes about 🇵🇰’s role in the region & the world. How has 🇵🇰 played a role as a very high profile Middle Power? Why does 🇵🇰 seek to avoid Cold War 2.0? And how does 🇵🇰’s persistent domestic underperformance create constraints? Free download ⬇️ www.belfercenter.org/research-ana...

belfercenter.org

In the Eye of the Storm: Pakistan’s Balancing Act in the Evolving Geopolitical Order

Poised between Washington and Beijing yet beholden to both, Pakistan sits at the epicenter of today’s great-power contest—struggling to turn its vulnerabilities into leverage. This report explores how...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Spoke to Tafhim Kiani about Cold War & post-Cold War 🇵🇰, the surprisingly large role Pakistan played during the US-Soviet struggle, 🇵🇰’s extraordinary nuclear weapons breakthrough, & the relentless narrative & kinetic assaults the country has weathered since the 1980s. youtu.be/PCFLNf8o4_o?...

youtu.be

Pakistan’s Ultimate Bargain: Nuclear Rise & Empire Politics | Dr. Ilhan Niaz - EP 126

YouTube video by Kianistan

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

‘Make friends with those of the past.’ - Mencius

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

As Europe returns to a wolf age (the rest of the planet never left it) how can it navigate the return of history? Marc Saxer’s new book addresses the crisis of the liberal world order & explores the possibility of a rules-based multipolar world order. Geopolitical Conflict in the Wolf World:

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Latest edition of my latest book 😊:

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

New book from George Tsakraklides released on May 27:

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

My book, New World Empires: Cultures of Power and Governance in the Americas, won the 11th Best Publication Award for a book in the social sciences from the Higher Education Commission of 🇵🇰. From Routledge (NY) & is available in 🇮🇳 from Manohar (New Delhi) & it will soon be out in 🇵🇰 from OUP.

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

A fine essay on Malthus & what he got right - ingenuity did not overcome ecological constraints. It only delayed the onset of the constraints that would bring humanity back into equilibrium with nature:

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

One important outcome of the India-Pakistan clash of May 2025 is that Pakistan is raising a dedicated Rocket Force. But what exactly is a rocket force? Moiz Khan Kakar talks to Ali Mustafa about Pakistan’s Rocket Force Command in a useful introduction to the subject: youtu.be/v5siyBXTk68?...

youtu.be

Pakistan's New Rocket Force: Firebreak or Fuse? | Ali Mustafa | Statecraft Anatomy

YouTube video by The Dialectic Arc

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Reposted by Ilhan Niaz

Nerine Skinner @nerineskinner.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

📣ANNOUNCEMENT📣 I’m coming to Edinburgh baby! My Work In Progress is off to Edinburger & I would love to share the word with as many people as possible! Help me with my indecision. Character, stand up and songs. #edfringe #comedy 11-20th Aug: www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces just gave an important speech at an event to mark the end of last year’s India-Pakistan conflict. The speech is in Urdu (link in the thread below) but I’ve summarised the main points here for anyone who is interested in knowing what he said.

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

My latest essay, ‘The India-Pakistan Doomsday Machine & the Logic of Preemption’ is out now from CSCR - a year after the India-Pakistan clashes of May 2025, another round of violence remains likely. To make it less likely, Pakistan needs to go for a preemption option. cscr.pk/explore/them...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

The UNDP is hiring research assistants who will work remotely. Take a look & throw your hat into the ring if you are a recent graduate (within last year), a final year student, or enrolled in a Masters or PhD program. Deadline is September 30, 2026. Link 👇: careersworldwide.org/2026/04/30/u...

careersworldwide.org

UNDP Is Hiring Remote Research Assistants 2026 — Work From Home Internship With Monthly Stipend - careersworldwide

UNDP Is Hiring Remote Research Assistants 2026 — Work From Home Internship With Monthly Stipend.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has officially opened its 2026 Global Call for Remote Re...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Ejaz Haider talks to the incisive & superbly well-informed Kelly Grieco (AirPower expert) about whether the Iran war is Trump’s Albatross? I reckon the war is an Albatross. A beautiful Albatross. There’s been no Albatross like it before. Make Albatross Great Again: youtu.be/ygDuQ9wuCB4?...

youtu.be

InFocus With Ejaz Haider EP89: Is the Iran War Trump's Albatross?

YouTube video by CSSPR

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

In February, Ejaz Haider wrote a response to Tharoor’s article on India-Pakistan. Two Indian publications backed out of publishing it for fear of government pressure. You can read it here: www.thefridaytimes.com/02-May-2026/...

thefridaytimes.com

Mr Tharoor Is Incrementally Getting It Right; That Is Welcome

Sir, get the premise right, which means looking at this not from a unilateral lens of what India needs and must have, but to understand that diplomacy is the

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

If Mamdani wants to compensate victims of colonialism then there’s a lot he can do right in NYC. On Kohinoor, India has a good claim due to the source of the diamond, but Britain acquired it by treaty, so 🇵🇰 🇮🇷 🇦🇫 don’t have as strong a claim. youtu.be/yfT4tMkBp9w?...

youtu.be

Bring Kohinoor Diamond Back to Lahore | Ilhan Niaz & Fasi Zaka Analysis |Full Frame with Fahd Husain

YouTube video by Express 24-7

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

What goes up must come down, but with modern civilisation, the depletion of the underlying ecology & resources is such that it might be impossible to rebuild an industrial society. Sarah Connor explains:

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

There is no scenario where Pakistan trying but failing to stop the world’s descent into madness is worse than failing to try. That said, Pakistani decision makers need to read Ejaz Haider’s latest article very carefully & calibrate mediation efforts: www.dawn.com/news/1994665

dawn.com

THE WAR AGAINST IRAN AND PAKISTAN’S MOMENT

As Washington and Tehran oscillated between escalation and diplomacy after the war imposed by the US and Israel on Iran, Pakistan

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

If you want great economic analysis from someone who understands how economies actually work & has solutions to many of today’s challenges, be sure to read Nasim Beg’s new blog: nasimbeg1.blogspot.com/2026/04/slow...

nasimbeg1.blogspot.com

Slow-Death from the Less-Discussed Invisible Tax, No, Not Inflation

Slow-Death from the Less-Discussed Invisible Tax, No, Not Inflation Nasim Beg 22 nd April 2026 We normally understand tax as t...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Sahar Khan, Haleema Sadia, and Afeera Firdous, launch their new podcast Beyond the Lines of Control. Congratulations to them on the new episode! The first of many, I am sure: youtu.be/ELggGpg_jIg?...

youtu.be

India–Pakistan Crisis 2025: How War and Nuclear Risk Are Changing in South Asia

YouTube video by Beyond The Lines of Control

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

On April 21, 1526, 500 years ago on this day, Zahiruddin Babar fought and defeated the Sultanate of Delhi at the Battle of Panipat. Some great books for learning about this empire:

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Two great public servants - one message: Pakistanis are poorer and less well-nourished than in 2018. They are also dramatically more digitally integrated than in 2018. Where will this increasing impoverishment + growing connectivity lead? www.dawn.com/news/1965911...

dawn.com

People are eating less

Macroeconomic repairs are being carried out by impoverishing the people.

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

The always engaging Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Pakistani premier, in conversation with Shayan Mahmud on the How Does it Work Podcast - worth watching in full: youtu.be/F_0gTCIdn6c?...

youtu.be

From PIA to Life in Adiala Jail Ft. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

YouTube video by How Does It Work Podcast

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Sat down for a wide ranging talk with Shayan Mahmud on the How does it work podcast about Pakistan, modernisation, governance, colonialism, and some other stuff: youtu.be/Vr2F46ptZ4w?...

youtu.be

Bureaucracy, Army & Landlords: How the British Raj Designed Pakistan’s Elite Rule | Dr. Ilhan Niaz

YouTube video by How Does It Work Podcast

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Is there a method to Trump’s madness, or is madness now the method? Ejaz Haider & Elizabeth Threlkeld try & read Trump’s mind, & do as good a job as anyone can. As for Pakistan, it has dealt pretty well with a crazier White House. Full episode here: youtu.be/T32sbErtIQg?...

youtu.be

InFocus With Ejaz Haider Ep78: Unpacking Trump's South Asia Policy

YouTube video by CSSPR

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

@bsky.app - I wasted nearly half an hour on a thread of posts. The thing didn’t go through. It got stuck on photo upload. And then I had to restart the app and my phone - the thread didn’t save to drafts for some reason. You are doing a lousy job. I won’t wast time on posting a thread here again.

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Aiza Azam in conversation with Victor Gao about Sino-US relations, India-Pakistan, and what lies ahead. Worth watching in full: youtu.be/aWyYL_vmH4w

youtu.be

“Bridges, Not Barriers: Victor Gao on China’s Global Vision”

YouTube video by ISSRA Official

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

AI slop now accounts for a majority of the written content on the web. There will be a niche market for “authentic free range human writing” while the bulk of a population increasingly unused to applying its own mind to anything make do with what AI produces. www.pcmag.com/news/slop-ce...

pcmag.com

Slop Central: More Than 50% of Articles Online Are Now AI-Generated

What will the future of the web look like?

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Zahra Naeem & Hussain Asad reveal how the installation of a coal power plant in Sahiwal has devastated the local community & environment - a shocking indictment of Pakistan’s government & bureaucracy: “Megawatts of Betrayal” - your must read for today: www.dawn.com/news/amp/195...

dawn.com

SAHIWAL’S MEGAWATTS OF BETRAYAL

Promised as a beacon of progress and development, the decade-old Sahiwal coal-fired power plant was meant not just to address

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Uzair Younus in conversation with the Hindustan Times on the improvement in Pakistan-US relations & the regional outlook. Worth watching in full: youtu.be/vw1TProUzKQ?...

youtu.be

The Real Story Behind Trump’s Ties To Pakistan

YouTube video by Hindustan Times

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Could part of the problem with Pakistani schools be that they have too much curriculum? A very interesting and thoughtful conversation with Sabeena Abbasi: youtu.be/qTxuVvIfvJM?...

youtu.be

Pakistan's Education Emergency | Teacher Training | Student Learning Outcomes | Sabeena Abbasi

YouTube video by The Dialectic Arc

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

A superb conversation about Uzair Younus’s new book, Future Ready: Innovation, Abundance & the Global South. Do watch the full thing - full of precise policy prescriptions that folks in government & the private sector can draw upon. youtu.be/SKTswVV2dYY?...

youtu.be

How the Global South Can Be Future Ready | Uzair Younus on Innovation & Abundance

YouTube video by Parallel Learning Space

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Uzair Younus’s new book, Future Ready, challenges the reader to understand the non-linearity of development & provides lots of valuable insights - here is my review of the book, be sure to get it as it’s a fast-paced and engaging read: www.dawn.com/news/1946735...

dawn.com

NON-FICTION: A GRAND STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPMENT

A new book offers sharp, engaging and valuable insights about developmental paths, and communicates complex ideas in an easily...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Two enterprising young scholars from 🇵🇰 have just launched a new podcast series - called the dialectic it covers a wide range of topics from geopolitics to personal development - please watch their launch video & like & subscribe to their channel to give them a warm welcome: youtu.be/5NpIdVKOH6o?...

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Ilhan Niaz @ilhanniaz.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

The mistake Democrats are making is that they think the current president cares about the administration that reports to him: youtu.be/SoZwKjQ0c18?...

youtu.be

Shutdown Sparks Cringey Meme War & Trump Punishes Blue Cities | The Daily Show

YouTube video by The Daily Show

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