The international sanctions on Iran reinforce conservative rule. The threat of a military attack by the United States or Israel offers no aid to democratic advance. The result is a standoff on the edge of escalation, says Rasool Nafisi.

By Tahir Ali Wahid

The Pakistan floods are a tragedy of biblical proportions which Pakistanis are confronted with at every turn. In this tragedy – unlike the story of Noah – there was no Messiah to warn us and it appears, no Messiah to save us. As Pakistanis we have wailed against our government for its ineffective response and witnessed torturously sluggish international mobilisation of aid commitments. This, however, is the moment for the Pakistani Diaspora all over the world to rise to the challenge and replace conventional emergency responses with fresh ideas.