Between the metropole and the postcolony: On the dynamics of rights

Recent analyses have critically evaluated the connection of abstract rights with territorial nation-states. This article extends those findings by analyzing the way discourses of rights (human, political, national) are interconnected. It is argued that the system of relations that rights establish between their norms and concrete sociopolitical practices allows rights to function as overall machinery, one that both produces and governs subjects. From this perspective, this article establishes that: (a) since rights depend for their legal guarantee on the power of nation-states, they are a normative standard which coincides with the political power of a nation-state; (b) since rights require a certain ethic from subjects in order that their exercise of rights be legally protectable, they govern subjects through inclusion, that is, by structuring fields of action in order that a certain “proper” conduct may take place; (c) since the nation-state framework with which rights are connected operates in a postcolonial order, the functioning of rights is also connected with the discursive dynamics of postcoloniality. The empirical focus of the discussion is on Pakistan. The first section focuses on the use of human rights’ discourse in order to counter drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal belt. The conundrums that human rights in this context generate are then filled in by acknowledging “rights” of a state (i.e. political sovereignty and territorial integrity), which is the focus of second section. The third section comments on the way national and political rights correspond to the notions of “citizenship” and “belongingness,” which in turn shapes the conduct of subjects in a contextually apt manner

Negative governmentality through fundamental rights: The far side of the European Convention on Human Rights

This essay analyses those statements that mention legal norms in negative terms. Specifically, it analyses those statements that define a legal system by mentioning how legal protection does not work and where legal protection ends, and those statements that identify what rights‐holders do not have to with their legally protected free capacities. This essay argues that these statements address a systemic question. It calls such a dynamic as negative governmentality. The argument proceeds in four steps. It introduces the concept of negative governmentality by arguing that the idea of freedom requires both the positive affirmation of moral agency and the constraining of moral agency (Section 2). It then explores how rights constitute freedom by limiting rights or making exceptions to them (Section 3). Later, it analyses how rights‐based norms prevent abuse of rights by holders of rights (Section 4). Finally, it sees how rights‐based norms constrain the legal guarantor of rights, i.e., a state (Section 5). The essay concludes by mentioning the importance of negative governmentality (Section 6)

How the US can use economic and soft power to improve human rights and maintain diplomatic leverage in Afghanistan

Last summer, the US ended its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, withdrawing its remaining troops and the Taliban quickly reasserting control of the country. Muhammad Ali Nasir writes that rather than making a new mistake by imposing sanctions on Afghanistan, the US should instead should offer support and assistance to make the Taliban militarily and economically dependent on it, at a fraction of the cost of its previous military interventions

The UK at the crossroads between a ‘dirty recovery’ and ‘build back better’

More important than whether the recovery will be V or W-shaped is whether it will have sustainability at its core, write Muhammad Ali Nasir and Muhammad Shahba

Climate change, Covid-19, and our existential challenge

Problems of this severity and scope can only be solved through global cooperation, write Muhammad Shahbaz and Muhammad Ali Nasi

Statistical Modelling of Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity of Fly Ash Based Geopolymer mortar using response surface methodology

The fly ash based geopolymer has emerged as a capable and sustainable binder material in construction industry. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) method is a non-destructive technique for investigating the mechanical performance of concrete. Experimental investigation was performed for studying the effect of NaOH Molarity, Na2SiO3/NaOH and curing temperature on the ultrasonic pulse velocity of geopolymer mortar. Experiments were designed based on central composite design (CCD) technique of response surface methodology (RSM). Statistical model was developed and statistically validated and found significant as the difference between adjustable R-squared and predicted R-squared less than 0.2. Finally, the optimized mix proportion was assessed for maximized value of UPV. Experimental validation on the optimized mix reveals the close agreement between experimental and predicted values of UPV with significance level of more than 95%. The proposed technique improves the yield, the reliability of the product and the processes

The Effect of Corporate Governance on Capital Structure Decisions – A Case of Saudi Arabian Banking Sector

Purpose – The aim of this empirical study is to analyse the impact of Corporate Governance on Capital Structure Decisions in Saudi Arabian commercial banking sector. The components of corporate governance whose impact has been analysed on the capital structure are board size, independence of directors, ownership structure, ownership of management, board meetings. Methodology – Multiple regression analysis, Correlation matrix and Descriptive Statistics is used to assess the relationship among corporate governance components and capital structure of Saudi commercial banks for the years 2010 and 2011. Findings – The results shows that ownership structure and board size are positively correlated which is coherent with most of the previous studies. Managerial ownership and board independence are negatively correlated and board meeting held in a year is also negatively correlated but is statistically insignificant. Moreover the study found that on average the Saudi banks uses 68 % debt capital.  Implications- The research study is supposed to facilitate regulatory authorities like CMA for improving the implementation of rules and regulations in order to make corporate governance tools work more efficiently in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Originality- The research study evaluates the effects of corporate governance components on capital structure decisions of Saudi commercial banks

Financial Satisfaction of International Students in Malaysia

Studying in a foreign country is the opportunity for the students for understanding the different cultures and advances new knowledge from different societies. The core aim of this research is to determine the financial satisfaction of international students in Malaysian universities. This data gathered from 288 oversease students of Malaysian universities by using convenience sampling method. This study utilized the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for data analysis. The finding suggests that there is a significant effect of financial stress and financial and economic consideration on financial satisfaction of international students. This study also asserted that there is a significant effect of financial knowledge and family financial support on financial satisfaction. This research prone to some limitation such as cross-sectional method, and the convenience sampling method utilized in this current research. This study will beneficial for the government as well as policymakers to new rules and guidelines in favor of international students

Central Bank digital currencies: An Agenda for future research

Central bank digital currencies are engendering concern. As understanding of CBDCs is very limited, further research is warranted which will focus not only on the economic rationale of CBDCs but also on how they will impact monetary policy transmission, financial and price stability, inflation targeting, unconventional monetary instruments, central banks as lenders of last resort, and provision of forward guidance. There are also unsettled questions regarding ethics, privacy and environmental and technological constraints. With the imminent implementation of CBDCs, it is vital to explore these issues