Author: HeraldStar

By Oumama Intissar Bahlili The United States today stands at a precarious crossroads. For decades, the global order was anchored by the stability of the American dollar and the perceived invincibility of its institutions. However, according to recent insights shared by Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, that bedrock is shifting. As of early February 2026, the diagnosis is clear: the American “Big Cycle” has entered its most turbulent phase, marked by a fractured domestic order and a fraying global mandate. The narrative of American decline is not new, yet Dalio’s latest remarks notably highlighted in recent forum…

By Qaiser Nawab The start of February 2026 has brought with it a somber reminder of the persistent fragility of Pakistan’s internal security landscape as the province of Balochistan finds itself once again at a crossroads. The events of the past week, peaking on February 1, have ignited a broader conversation on the geopolitical stakes involved in the development of Pakistan’s largest, yet most restive, province.Following a massive 40-hour counter-terrorism blitz that concluded at the end of January, the death toll of militants has been officially recorded at 145. This operation, described by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as a…

By Qaiser Nawab As the sun sets over the rugged cliffs of Koh-e-Batil, casting long shadows across the deep-water berths of Gwadar Port, the silhouette of Balochistan’s future appears both imposing and intricate. Data released by the Planning Commission and the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) indicates that the port’s cargo handling capacity has seen a year-on-year increase of 22 percent, bolstered by the full operationalization of the Eastbay Expressway and the completion of the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), which commenced full-scale international flight operations last quarter. Yet, the discourse in the tea stalls of Quetta and the boardroom meetings…

By Wania Tahir In a development that has sent tremors through global bourses while eliciting a triumphant smirk from the Oval Office, the United States Dollar plunged to a four-year low this week. The greenback, long the undisputed hegemon of international trade, faced a bruising sell-off, retreating against a basket of major currencies to levels not seen since early 2022. Yet, in a characteristic defiance of traditional economic orthodoxy, President Donald Trump has welcomed the slide, framing the devaluation as a strategic boon for domestic manufacturing and trade competitiveness rather than a sign of American weakness. As of late trading…

By:Ouma Intissar Bahlili When China unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, sceptics dismissed it as an overambitious infrastructure scheme dressed up as geopolitics. A decade on, the initiative has evolved into something more complex: a network of economic corridors, political alignments and development experiments stretching across continents. In this expanding map, Morocco occupies a position that is both geographically obvious and strategically underestimated.Perched at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Atlantic world, Morocco is not merely another participant in the BRI; it is a test case for whether China’s global vision can adapt to regional realities…

By Qaiser Nawab In a global economic landscape characterized by fragmentation, protectionist headwinds, and sluggish recovery, China’s economic performance for the fiscal year 2025 has once again defied the more pessimistic forecasts emanating from overseas observatories. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released its official data on Monday, confirming that the world’s second-largest economy expanded by 5 per cent in 2025, successfully hitting the official target set by Beijing earlier in the year. Perhaps the most significant revelation in the 2025 dossier is the definitive rebuttal of the long-standing perception that China’s economic engine is solely fueled by external demand.…

President Ilham Aliyev’s interview with Euronews in Davos essentially reveals Azerbaijan’s position within the current international order, its claim to regional leadership, and the pragmatic course it has adopted in foreign policy. This interview is not limited solely to energy issues; it presents Azerbaijan’s broader model of behavior within a wider geopolitical framework. International Order: The Azerbaijan Model in the Transition from Law to Power “International legal norms no longer appear absolute for all members of the global community.” This quotation reflects the President’s core assessment of the global system. Aliyev openly states that the world has entered a new…

By Qaiser Nawab The European Union is mobilising its most potent economic weaponry in preparation for a historic trade war with the United States, following President Donald Trump’s unprecedented ultimatum regarding the purchase of Greenland. In a move that threatens to fracture the Western alliance, Brussels is finalizing a retaliatory package targeting €93 billion ($107bn) of American exports, while simultaneously preparing to bar US corporations from lucrative public tenders across the continent. The standoff, which has escalated with remarkable speed since the weekend, centers on Washington’s demand to acquire the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland a strategic Arctic asset the…

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD In 2025, China’s imports hit a record value of 18.48 trillion yuan. For decades, the orthodox view of the Chinese economy focused almost exclusively on its export prowess. However, the granular breakdown of the 2025 data reveals that this operating model has been fundamentally superseded. The resilience of China’s imports now reflects a sophisticated industrial upgrading and a domestic market that has become indispensable to global growth. The Anatomy of Demand To understand the significance of the 18.48 trillion yuan import figure, one must examine the industrial engine it feeds. The import record is inextricably…

By Wania Tahir On January 12, a collective sigh of relief was audible across the Eurasian manufacturing landscape. After months of simmering tensions that threatened to boil over into a debilitating trade war, China and the European Union announced a breakthrough consensus on the vexing issue of electric vehicles (EVs). By agreeing to a mechanism of “price undertakings” essentially a minimum import price instead of proceeding with punitive tariffs that were set to reach as high as 45 percent, both powers have chosen the path of economic pragmatism over geopolitical polarization. Under this arrangement, Chinese exporters including industry titans like…