Pakistan, Sept. 15 -- "May you live in interesting times", a phrase often attributed to an ancient Chinese curse feels strangely apt within the global environment we currently find ourselves hostage to. South Asia in particular finds itself at a curious juncture.

A rapidly changing world, far from the relative stability of the distant 2 decade long 'Pax Americana'; was already in flux, with populist strongman leadership on the rise, a superpower that abruptly forsake the global 'rules-based' system that the USA itself had setup (with all that entails) and disruptions to the established order caused by a rising China. The World did not need a global pandemic to make 2020 anymore "interesting" but when it rains it pours and here we are.

A...