Huma Baqai - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Huma Baqai

Democracies seem to have scored a historic victory over alternative forms of government. The majo... more Democracies seem to have scored a historic victory over alternative forms of government. The majority of the states in the world are democracies of one kind or the other. According to Freedom House, 121 out of 193 states of the world today are democracies.1 This is indeed a progressive trend since the third wave of democratization began thirty years ago. Democracy has become a compulsion because there are strong international pressures, both economic and political, favouring democratization. People have opted for more open and democratic forms of governance. Leaders in new democracies face the daunting problem of creating strong and sustainable democratic institutions that will fulfil the high hopes of their people for political freedom and opportunity. According to Samuel Phillips Huntington, 'the process of democratization is composed of two phases. The first phase is power transition and the second is consolidation of the democratic achievements.' Democratic

Pakistan Perspective, 2005

The term 'ideology' was coined in the eighteenth century by the French philosopher Destutt De Tra... more The term 'ideology' was coined in the eighteenth century by the French philosopher Destutt De Tracy (1754-1836). Tracy developed a new discipline that concerned with the systematic analysis of ideas and sensations. It was this discipline that he described as ideology, literally the science of ideas. 1 Over the centuries, it has undergone many transformations. Today the concept of ideology is a highly contested notion, and there is no general consensus concerning the most appropriate way to define the term. Nevertheless, many commentators would agree that the study of ideology is an indispensable part of social and political analysis. Political systems, social and political movements, and relations of power domination are always interrelated in complex ways with ideas, beliefs and symbolic forms of various kinds. Power is rarely exercised without some kind of symbolic attribute or support. It is this aspect of power, and social and political life more generally that has come to define the distinctive province of the study of ideology. 2 The present world order thrives on the failure of communism and the end of ideological confrontation. 3 Prior to 1980 there was a tendency to downplay the force of religion in politics. It proved counter productive especially because the sweeping political changes of 1980 witnessed most states of the world succumbing to the calls of so far submerged 1

Pakistan Journal of International Affairs, Jun 30, 2021

The number of commercial and civilian vehicles equipped with automotive radars is expected to ris... more The number of commercial and civilian vehicles equipped with automotive radars is expected to rise rapidly in the forthcoming years and with that comes the problem of increased mutual interference between the radar sensors, which can result in severely reduced radar sensitivity and increased false alarm rates. The difficulty and complexity of the problem increase with MIMO radar systems and multiply even further with a growing number of vehicles present on the scene. A system of connected vehicles can efficiently address this problem by sharing information amongst themselves. In this paper, we propose an efficient waveform design algorithm that seeks to minimize a collective cross-ambiguity function. Vehicles that can talk to each other, can perform the design online in a collaborative manner, or offline, in which case the radar codes can be designed and stored in a codebook for future use. The proposed coding scheme is computationally efficient for practical use and the incorporation of such schemes requires only a slight modification of the existing systems. Our numerical examples indicate that the proposed scheme can significantly reduce the interference power level in a desired area of the radar cross-ambiguity functions.

Pakistan Perspective, 2011

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, lipid-driven disease of medium sized arteries which causes myocardi... more Atherosclerosis is a chronic, lipid-driven disease of medium sized arteries which causes myocardial infarction and stroke. Recently, an adaptive immune response against the plaque-associated autoantigen Apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB), the structural protein component of low-density lipoprotein, has been implicated in atherogenesis. In healthy individuals, CD4 + T cells responding to ApoB mainly comprised regulatory T cells, which confer immune tolerance and atheroprotection. Mice and patients with atherosclerosis harbor increased numbers of proatherogenic ApoB-reactive T-helper cell subsets. Given the lack of therapies targeting proatherogenic immunity, clarification of the underlying mechanisms is of high clinical relevance. T cells develop in the thymus, where strong autoreactive T cells are eliminated in the process of negative selection. Herein, we investigated whether the transcription factor autoimmune regulator (AIRE), which controls expression of numerous tissue-restricted self-antigens in the thymus, is involved in mediating tolerance to ApoB and whether Aire deficiency might contribute to atherogenesis. Mice deficient for Aire were crossbred to apolipoprotein E-deficient mice to obtain atherosclerosis-prone Aire −/− Apoe −/− mice, which were fed a regular chow diet (CD) or western-type diet (WD). CD4 + T cells responding to the ApoB peptide p6 were analyzed by flow cytometry. We demonstrate that Aire deficiency influences neither generation nor activation of ApoB-reactive T cells and has only minor and overall inconsistent impacts on their phenotype. Furthermore, we show that atherosclerotic plaque size is not affected in Aire −/− Apoe −/− compared to Aire +/+ Apoe −/− , irrespective of diet and gender. In conclusion, our data suggests that AIRE is not involved in regulating thymic expression of ApoB or atherosclerosis. Alternative mechanisms how ApoB-reactive CD4 T cells are selected in the thymus will have to be investigated.

... are convinced that a New World exists. First settlement is La Navidad on is-land of Santo Dom... more ... are convinced that a New World exists. First settlement is La Navidad on is-land of Santo Domingo. It is found de-stroyed on second voyage in 1496, when city ofSanto Domingo is founded. 1493 May 3-4. Pope Alexander VI ...

Abraham Accords: A Journey from Arab Israeli to Palestinian-Israeli Conflict , 2021

The western hype over Abraham Accords is evident from their exploitation of the overused phrase "... more The western hype over Abraham Accords is evident from their exploitation of the overused phrase "historical moment" in international relations. A shift in Arab-Israeli relations has been stamped with the signing of Abraham Accords, whereby the Arab veto over the recognition of the Palestinian state, in return for Israeli recognition, is practically over. The unexpected shift of alliances in Middle East have defined new battle lines. Israel has joined forces with UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia-against perhaps Iran and Turkey. Despite the commitment to halt further settlements, Palestine is the ultimate victim. The two-state solution, in spirit, is all but buried. Comprehensive peace processes are multi-level and multi-layered and involve pragmatic efforts to build the widest consensus possible around a shared future. However, Abraham Accords lacks just that; it is both elitist and imposed. The paper is an attempt to explore the changing ground realities by exploring both history and the contemporary scenario. It examines both long-term and short-term impact of the accords on the stakeholders and the regional players.

International Journal of Business and Social Science , 2011

Religious Extremism and Exclusivity are on the rise in Pakistan. Religion triggered violence has ... more Religious Extremism and Exclusivity are on the rise in Pakistan. Religion triggered violence has claimed over three thousands lives in the last two decades and disrupted thousands more and continues to haunt the lives of people in Pakistan (see the table no.1) Religious minorities have become a threatened entity. This phenomenon is not limited to Non-Muslim religious entities like Hindus, Christians, Ahmedis and others which only constitute about three percent of the population. It also impacts Shia’ites who are targeted and killed on a regular basis and
make up about 20 percent of the population. Even within the majority Sunni Sect (77 Percent) there are several sub sects who follow different methodologies and practices and consider others deficient and flawed (see the chart below). Religious occasions and festivals like Muhram and Rabi-ul-Awal and even the Eids are marred by violence or threats of violence. Religion in Pakistan has become a source of conflict and insecurity. May be it is time to reevaluate the role of religion in the lives of the citizens of Pakistan and its hold on the apparatus of the state.

Business Review, 2008

... Role of the Indian bureaucracy in conflict and cooperation has been controversial with proced... more ... Role of the Indian bureaucracy in conflict and cooperation has been controversial with procedural stringency being a norm. The politicization of it has impacted India's relation with all its neighbors, be it Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal. ...

humabaqai.com

Extremist is a label used for those individuals or groups, who generally resort to violence in or... more Extremist is a label used for those individuals or groups, who generally resort to violence in order to impose their beliefs, ideology or moral values on others. The term implies to those factions and individuals who have become radicalized or fundamentalist in some way, both the terms have negative connotations in present day situation. The term radical or fundamental mean to going to the essentials and basics. Radical is not normally regarded as derogatory-except perhaps in the United States of America-and, unlike extremist, is sometimes used by groups in self description.Fundamentalism however is commonly used as a pejorative term, particularly when combined with other epithets (as in the phrase "Muslim fundamentalists" 1 and "rightwing/left-wing fundamentalists"). 2 Richard Dawkins has used the term to characterize religious advocates as clinging to a stubborn, entrenched position that defies reasoned argument or contradictory evidence. 3 Others in turn, such as Christian theologian Alistair McGrath, have used the term fundamentalism to characterize atheism as dogmatic. 4 Extremist or fundamentalist religious groups are found in many religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Religious organisations of these religions now and historically use tactics to encourage fear-based obedience to doctrines, such as fear-mongering tactics, immediate and intense unscientificallybased opposition to the physical realities, and intentional concealment and distortion of the real message to enforce obedience to religion. They strongly discourage rational, reason and logic. They are also called literalist. The term can be traced to Biblical literalism (also called Biblicism or Biblical fundamentalism) is the interpretation or translation of the explicit and primary sense of words in the Bible. 5 A literal, Biblical interpretation is associated with the fundamentalist and evangelical hermeneutical approach to Scripture, and is used by most conservative Christians today. 6 Steve Falkenberg, professor of religious psychology at Eastern Kentucky University, says, "I've never met anyone who actually believes the Bible is literally true. I know a bunch of people who say they believe the Bible is literally true but nobody is actually a literalist. Taken literally, the Bible says the earth is flat and setting on pillars and cannot move (Ps 93:1, Ps 96:10, 1 Sam 2:8, and Job 9:6). It says that great sea monsters are set to guard the edge of the sea (Job 41, Ps 104:26)..." 7 Qur'anic literalism is also on the rise, the belief that the verses of the Qur'an should be taken at their apparent meaning, rather than employing any sort of interpretation. This is generally explained by the concept of-bi-la kaifa‖ 8 , the claim that the literal meanings should be accepted without asking how or why. Literalism has been a source of disagreement within the Muslim community for centuries, with the debate over it continuing today. In the past many prominent Islamic scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab were proponents of it, in addition to modern day scholars such as Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz. It has been a primary area of contention between Shi'as and many Sunnis, especially proponents of Salafism. Those whom suggest that the Qur'an is entirely literal would make void the following verse: "He it is who has revealed the Book to thee; some of its verses are decisive-they are the basis for the Book-and others are allegorical. Then those in whose hearts is perversity follow that part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead, and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation. And none knows its interpretation save Allah, and those firmly rooted in knowledge... (Qur'an 3:7) 9 Today's dilemma is to understand how fundamentalism got linked to extremism and terrorism. The fact is that all terrorists may not be fundamentalist, but given the need and opportunity, fundamentalist and extremist will opt for terrorism, if they think it will help them in achieving their ultimate objective. What probably links fundamentalism and extremism to terrorism is their pursuit for power and control. Fundamentalism and tolerance for decent and dissidents do not mix well. When extremist and fundamentalists are in power (Islamic or Not) they will kill opponents without any regard to international laws and norms, and thus push spectators and potential dissidents into silent acquiescence. And when they are in pursuit of power or clout, they will use violence against government establishments and the public to instill fear and show the incompetency of those in power.

Asian journal of social sciences and humanities, 2012

Ethics by definition are a system of moral principles. The rules of conduct recognized in respect... more Ethics by definition are a system of moral principles. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, drawn from culture and religion. In today’s world in essence ethics are about how to treat others with dignity and respect and recognizing and honoring the humanity in all others. In international relations, where interactions are studied with the focus on power and it is difficult to create distinction between facts and values, ethics emerge as a sub discipline and it is difficult to establish the fact that ethics should be everywhere. In a country like Pakistan, where external threats and internal issues intermingled it is very difficult to maintain a focus on the importance of ethics in international relations. The paper is an attempt to highlight the importance of ethics as a part of social sciences in general and international relations in particular to address the problems of positivist approach to inter and intra-state...

Some 60 years ago, it was pointed out by Pareto, that the term ethnicity was one of the vaguest t... more Some 60 years ago, it was pointed out by Pareto, that the term ethnicity was one of the vaguest terms known to sociology.1 One finds fundamental conceptual differences in its definition. They can be natural, primordial, given or even catenation of power blocks within a system. However, ethnicity is characterized by cultural prejudice and social discrimination. It embodies both positive and negative aspects. All the states of South Asia, except the Maldives, experience the negative ramifications of ethnicity.

Pakistan’s foreign policy is a story of constrains and compulsions rather than the leeway to exer... more Pakistan’s foreign policy is a story of constrains and compulsions rather than the leeway to exercise fair options. Its geographic location dictated, most of the choices it made, which also resulted in Pakistan getting entangled in super power rivalry. The last five plus years, Pakistan has faced the most serious challenges ever. This has resulted in several paradigm shifts and new trends that have emerged in the polity of Pakistan. These challenges can be turned into opportunities, if the new developments are consolidated. They may have a favorable impact on Pakistan itself and on its regional relations. The most prominent of these are the democratic transition in Pakistan, the changing PakistanUS relationships, the situation in Afghanistan and imperatives of economic globalization. The paper takes into account and discusses their impact on Pak-India relations: Pakistan and India are on the dialogue table for the sixth time. This paper is an attempt to analyze how these paradigm sh...

PSN: Urbanization & Urban Development (Topic), 2018

Karachi is the only true megalopolis in Pakistan. It is also a textbook case of urban challenges ... more Karachi is the only true megalopolis in Pakistan. It is also a textbook case of urban challenges and political vicissitudes. The qualitative study provides an insight into the long standing generic ethno-political realities of the city and the emergence of a new non-state actor, the Taliban, on the scene. This new actor at one time controlled Karachi and was responsible for 90 per cent spike in terrorist attacks in the city. The paper attempts to explain that the violent matrix of Karachi is not about law and order. The law and order break down Karachi experiences, is the byproduct of unprecedented demographic convulsions that the city continues to experience, the conflict under development trap, and the governance break down leading to the phenomenon of mafias and militancy. The ongoing Karachi operation, initiated in September 2013, was the state response to address the deteriorating situation on the ground. Karachi is a resilient city, it has responded positively to the initiativ...

For too long the people of Pakistan and India have been held hostage to a conflict that should ha... more For too long the people of Pakistan and India have been held hostage to a conflict that should have been resolved decades ago. As a result, countless lives have been lost, millions of people have been kept in a state of insecurity and poverty, economic opportunities have been squandered, and the goodwill of cultural exchanges has been sacrificed. This sorry state of affairs has global implications, especially since both countries are nuclear powers. Too much ransom has been paid. The time has come to forge a new way forward, based on direct people-to-people cooperation that serves the mutual benefit of both countries, the region, and the world. With this mind, we, the five authors of this essay, came together for a week at Bentley University in Massachusetts, USA, to discuss how we in business and academia could work to advance peace at the direct people-to-people level. What follows are our initial thoughts.