ASIAN Journal of International Peace & Security (AJIPS)

Challenges and Responses of Contemporary Pakistan-Iran Relations

Asiya Bukhari, Rizwan Ali Shinwari, Tahir Mahmood Azad — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Iran and Pakistan are neighboring Muslim countries. Since the independence of
Pakistan from British India in 1947, it has kept close ties with Iran, based on shared
values and a common heritage. Both the countries went through ups and downs in their
history but still maintained a peaceful relation. To maintain a good momentum of
relations, they adopted policies to enhance their friendship. This paper focuses on
different pushing and pulling factors between their relations, at the local, regional, and
global levels, while analyzing their changing perspectives towards each other over time
on different common issues. Those factors include the politics circles around delaying
the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, the Iran nuclear issue, the U.S. intervention in the wake
of its withdrawal from the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the
Afghanistan situation and implications for both Iran and Pakistan, Saudi Arabian
influence especially in the foreign policy formulation of Pakistan, and the recent Indian
rapprochement towards Iran. This paper is based on secondary data.

Politics of Climate Change: A Comparative Study of the Chinese and the US Responses

Amjid Rana, Saima Gul — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The climate change has menacingly threatened the environmental system due to
emission of greenhouse gasses. On the other hand, the world’s economic infrastructure
mostly has a carbon economy that could collapse if carbon footprint is suddenly
reduced. Due to the inverse relationship between economic interests and climate
change, states are not taking climate catastrophe seriously. Countries like China and the
US, with significant footprints of carbon in the world, have manipulated and abandoned
the climate objectives for economic pursuits. Their responses towards climate change
are often driven by their narrowly conceived economic and political objectives,
hindering their compliance and cooperation to tackle climate change. The study
suggests two points: the US and China will keep relying on fossil fuels for economic
objectives, and climate politics between these two countries and unwillingness on their
part to share the burden have threatened both states’ climate obligations. Hence,
climate change can betackled proficiently if the US and China cooperate by enhancing
trust on each other tofight climate change and shift their industries and manufacturing
sectors to clean energy instead of fossil fuels.

Tehran-Riyadh Détente 2023: Implications for Pakistan

Attiq-ur-Rehman — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The recently signed Iran-Saudi deal has generated a new debate in the contemporary
global power politics because the role of China mediating a deal between to archrival
nations has surprised the whole world. The Western powers are now compelled to
alter their ongoing models of Middle Eastern policies while recognizing China as an
important factor in affecting the mainstream geo-strategic calculations of the great
powers. In this debate, the position of Pakistan cannot be ignored because Islamabad
has a decades-long rivalry with New Delhi parallel to having multileveled relations with
Beijing. Additionally, the ideological affiliations of Islamabad with the main power
centers of the Muslim world have raised the significance of this development for
Pakistan. This deal has significant implications for the politics of the Middle Eastern
and South Asian regions, and both are the main points of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Thus, this paper seeks to provide a descriptive account of various arguments related to
the ongoing politics of South Asian and Middle Eastern regions in the post-deal
environment. It is an academic endeavor to align Pakistan with the changing attributes
of the Muslim world, where China has been recognized as an influential player and a
potential force for shaping new political scenarios. This study is based on a
combination of explorative and analytical method whereas its theoretical description
has been maintained with the support of Hegemonic Stability Theory (HST).

Cyber Stalking: Victims Vs Legal Protections

Zainab Bibi, Ambreen Abbasi — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The concept of cyber stalking is not new to cybercrime category but many countries are
still promulgating laws to protect cyber space from this intimidating behavior;
however, some countries has taken it a crime against female only and some has been
very late to regulate cyberspace. Therefore, with the legislative comparison between
India and the United Kingdom (UK), the clear stance on cyber stalking will be presented
as UK legal system is yet to promulgate cyber stalking regulations while India has only
considered female in the role of victim rather than mentioning anyone subject to cyber
stalking. On the other hand, the legal perspective on cyber stalking of the developed
countries such as Japan, Poland, and Singapore would help to analyze the problem in
detail. The legislative provisions elucidate the comprehension regarding efforts that
have been put in place by the international community to prevent cyber stalking and to
protect their citizen. Thus, the present research is conducted by comparison of legal
provisions of recently promulgating laws regarding cyber stalking in different states
and for this purpose comparative study methodology is adopted.

Stability-Instability Paradox: The Evolving Status of Artificial Intelligence in South Asia

Ziyad Alam, Mehboob Ali Khan, Faiza Naseem — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a breakthrough technology with dual use for
civilian as well as military purposes. As a new field, it offers various opportunities along
with challenges in the military sector. Major Powers are engaged in establishing and
maintaining leadership in the AI sector. This is not only compelling for major nuclear
powers to keep capacity building race due to the dilemma of security, but also
provoking other states to engage in acquiring AI-based technology both for civilian and
military purposes. This paper highlights the evolving status of AI particularly in South
Asia, keeping in view the emerging global status of AI among major powers. The study
also introduces the threat posed by AI to the stability-instability paradox both at
strategic and sub-strategic levels. The theoretical lens of security dilemma is used for
this study to understand and predict the evolving threat posed by AI in the context of
South Asia. Furthermore, this study is qualitative and exploratory in nature, taking
advantage of the competing truths and interpretations to highlight the growing use of
AI for dual purposes.