Pakistonomy

Uzair talks to Pramit Pal Chaudhuri about domestic and foreign policy developments in India. The conversation focuses on state elections in the country, Yogi's bid to become a national leader, India's relations with China and Russia, and Modi's outreach to Nawaz. Pramit Pal Chaudhuri is Foreign Editor of the Hindustan Times and a Distinguished Fellow, Ananta Aspen Centre, and Foreign Editor of the Hindustan Times, the primary newspaper of the Indian capital New Delhi. Among India’s most prominent commentators on the country’s political and economic relations with the rest of the world, Mr. Pal Chaudhuri combines this with extensive insight into the intricacies of the domestic situation in India. Reading Recommendations: - The New BJP: Modi and the Making of the World's Largest Political Party by Nalin Mehta - The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World by Dr. S. Jaishankar

Uzair talks to Randy Bell about ongoing volatility in the energy markets, how countries like Saudi Arabia are preparing for the future, and ways in which energy importing countries like Pakistan should develop long-term strategies that enhance their energy security. Randy Bell is the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center (GEC), where he oversees the center’s research and programs in Washington and elsewhere, including the annual Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi. He also serves as the co-director of the Atlantic Council’s Task Force on US Nuclear Energy Leadership and is the Richard Morningstar chair for global energy security. Reading Recommendations: - Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky - The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations by Daniel Yergin - Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Uzair talks to Dr. Vali Nasr about ongoing developments in the Middle East, where tensions between Iran and Gulf countries, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, continue to escalate. This podcast also touches on how the US should engage with the region and the ways in which Pakistan ought to navigate this quagmire. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke between 2009 and 2011. Nasr is the author of The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat; Forces of Fortune: The Rise of a New Middle Class and How it Will Change Our World; The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future; Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty; Islamic Leviathan, Islam and the Making of State Power; Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism; and Vanguard of Islamic Revolution: Jama'at-i Islami of Pakistan; and numerous articles in scholarly journals. He has advised senior American policymakers, world leaders, and businesses, including the President, Secretary of State, senior members of the Congress, and presidential campaigns. He has written for New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among others. Reading Recommendations: - The Shia Revival - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000U0O9FC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 - The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat - https://www.amazon.com/Dispensable-Nation-American-Foreign-Retreat-ebook/dp/B009Y4I9EM/ref=sr_1_1? - All Against All - https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2021-12-02/iran-middle-east-all-against-all

In this Urdu discussion, Uzair talks to historian, activist, and author Ammar Ali Jan about the Left's assessment of Pakistan's economy, the State Bank autonomy bill, and the types of reforms he would like to see in Pakistan's economy. Ammar is author of the book Rule by Fear: Eight Theses on Authoritarianism in Pakistan, which is a must-read. Reading Recommendation: - 23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang - Capitalism's Crisis Deepens by Richard D. Wolff - China's Revolutions in the Modern World by Rebecca E. Karl - Violent Fraternity by Shruti Kapila

In this Urdu discussion, Uzair talks to Shahid Mehmood about a recent article he published which showed how major issues since at least the 1980s continue to plague the economy. The discussion focuses on key drivers of these issues, why policy does not change to deal with this reality, and includes updates on economic developments in the former FATA regions. Shahid Mehmood is an economist and research fellow at PIDE. You can read his article here - https://www.dawn.com/news/1669368 You can read the PIDE Growth Strategy here - https://pide.org.pk/Research/PIDE-Reform-Agenda-Report.pdf Reading Recommendations: - Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond - Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco - The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Uzair talks to Ovais Zuberi, founder of Shazday Foods, about Pakistan's agriculture sector, why it is in a state of perpetual crisis, and how we can learn from the rich agricultural history of this region to reform the sector. The conversation also touches on important market access and development reforms that are needed, including farm-to-market infrastructure in the country.

Welcome to Season 3 of Pakistonomy. 2022 will be a year where politics will dominate the discourse, and rightfully so. In the first episode of this season Amber Rahim Shamsi helps us understand key things we all should keep an eye on, and how they will affect the economy moving forward. Amber is Head of Communications at Tabadlab. She is also an award-winning multi-media journalist, with wide-ranging experience in television, radio, online and the print media. She is also an International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and The Centre for Excellence in Journalism (ICFJ) fellow. Reading Recommendations: Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Rule of Fear by Ammar Ali Jan Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel

Uzair talks to regular guest Ariba Shahid about key events in 2021 and the outlook for 2022. This is our last episode of the year. We hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday season with your family and friends. If you've enjoyed our podcast over the year, please rate it, share it, and spread the word. See you in 2022!

In this Urdu discussion, Uzair talks to Dr. Kamran Bokhari about his recently-published essay titled "The Long Shadow of Deobandism in South Asia." This essay is a must-read as it provides a long history about the rise of political Islam in the subcontinent and how it has shaped Pakistan. Dr. Kamran Bokhari is Director of Analytical Development at the Newlines Institute. Dr. Bokhari is also a national security and foreign policy specialist at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute. Bokhari has also served as the Central Asia Studies Course Coordinator at U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. He was a Fellow with the Program on Extremism at George Washington University (2016-18). Dr. Bokhari has also been a Senior Consultant with The World Bank since 2009. He has 15 years of experience in the private sector intelligence space during which he provided intellectual leadership in the publishing of cutting-edge geopolitical analysis & forecasts. You can read the full essay here -https://newlinesmag.com/essays/the-long-shadow-of-deobandism-in-south-asia/

Uzair talks to Dr. Rosita Armytage about her book Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan. We talked about factions within Pakistan's elites, their worldview, morals, and perspectives about Pakistan and its political economy. The book is highly recommended if you want to learn more about this fascinating subject. Reading Recommendations: - Politics, Landlords and Islam in Pakistan by N. Martin - Political Kinship in Pakistan: Descent, Marriage, and Government Stability by S. M. Lyon - Anxious Wealth: Money and Morality Among China's New Rich by J. Osburg