The listing of Masood Azhar as a UN-designated terrorist is essentially a series of events, but this paper has brought them under the format of a single case study. Masood Azhar, and others like him, was the answer that Pakistan had reached to succeed where decades of conventional wars had failed. China's entry into this equation made the situation even more complex. China made common cause with Pakistan regarding Kashmir against India. It was, as a result, complicit in Pakistan's Kashmir terrorism strategy. India, on multiple occasions, had attempted to get Masood Azhar listed under the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) but failed to do so due to opposition from China. This case best illustrates the close and often complex relationship that China has with Pakistan. However, this seemingly irrational strategy of both Pakistan and China is based on sound tactical knowledge. The Realist Theory and Rational Choice Theory of International Relations are used to illustrate this. By using these theories, this paper attempts to declutter the often obscure motives of China and Pakistan. More...

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Scholars have examined and revisited various theories of economic integration, including Comparative Advantage Theory, Functionalism, Neo-Functionalism, Inter-Governmentalism, Transactionalism, Complex Interdependence and Structuralism. However, there are fundamental questions as to the applicability and strengths of such theoretical approaches in the explanation of the phenomenon of integration, considering the peculiar experiences of some societies or regions. How adequate are these theoretical approaches in the explanation of regional integration in West Africa? Do these theories sufficiently or adequately explain the incidence of proliferation of regional economic groups and sub-groups in West Africa? This paper is a rigorous and clinical attempt at providing answers to these salient questions. The answers to these salient issues are attempted by interrogating various theoretical approaches within which integration and cooperation have been investigated by scholars. Utilizing data majorly obtained from secondary sources, the paper posits, among other things, that in order to explicate the phenomena of proliferation of regional economic groups, subgroupings and multiple membership in West Africa, a theory that reflects the historical and neo-colonial ties between African states and their erstwhile colonial masters must be adopted and institutionalized. More...

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This paper examines some of the major pragmatic and conceptual challenges and dilemmas imposed on international trade by the coronavirus global pandemic. Addressing, among other things, the Corona effect on supply chains, on the movement of individuals, on the controversy between globalization opponents and supporters, and on the role of international economic organizations, the paper attempts to assess to what extent the crisis is likely to modify basic legal and economic perceptions currently underlining international trade. More...

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