The Advanced Contemporary Affairs (Book 88)ISBN 978-969-588-291-4Price Rs. 500/-Annual Subscription Rs. 2300/-2nd Issue, 2014The book series is backed and supported by the prestigiousthink tank, Council on Contemporary Affairs Pakistan_______________Articles and Essays included in theAdvanced Contemporary Affairs are being taken from national and international newspapers and journals of repute. The book series is designed to offer the readers a conglomerate of enlightened, research oriented, and thought provoking articles on current affairs at minimum possible cost._______________All correspondence and suggestions related to the Advanced Contemporary Affairs must be addressed to the Editors office:M. Imtiaz Shahid 614, 2nd Avenue, SW (B) BlockNFC, Lahore Pakistan.(Tel: 03222700004)E-mail: advancedcontemporaryaffairs@gmail.commimtiazshahid@gmail.com_______________We welcome any article on current affairs for publication. These articles may be sent to the Editors office._______________Opinions expressed in articles and reviews published in the Advanced Contemporary Affairs are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the editor or the publishers._______________Grateful acknowledgements are due to all those Authors, Newspapers, Journals & Publishers, whose articles and research works are included in this book series._______________Published by Advanced Publishers172nd Floor, Muslim Centre. Chatter Jee Road. Urdu Bazaar. Lahore. Pakistan. Ph. (042) 37360555, 35056955 email: advancedpublisherspk@gmail.com)

The Advanced Contemporary Affairs

BookEighty Eight

Editor in ChiefM Imtiaz Shahid

Backed by:Council on Contemporary Affairs, Pakistan(Lahore, London, Washington D.C.)

17-2nd Floor, Muslim Centre, Chatter Jee Road,Urdu Bazaar, Lahore. Ph. 042 37360555, 35056955mailto: advancedpublisherspk@gmail.com

Advisory BoardDr Hasan-Askari RizviPolitical and Defence AnalystDr Farooq HasnatMiddle East specialistMiddle East Centre Washington DCDr Nilofer MehdiAnalyst Pakistan Foreign PolicyDr Maqsud al Hasan NuriAnalyst Central Asia, Afghanistan and the GulfFormer President & Senior Research Fellow, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) Dr A Z HilaliAnalyst South Asian SecurityDean of Contemporary Studies National Defence University, IslamabadDr Mansoor Akbar KundiVice Chancellor, Gomal University, D I KhanDr Muhammad AhsanAnalyst Muslim World & International Political EconomyDr Zafar Nawaz JaspalAnalyst NuclearizationDr Nauman ZafarUniversity of Indiana, USAAnalyst Pakistan US RelationsDr Zahid AnwerAnalyst Russia & Central AsiaGuo XiaobingFellow, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, BeijingFaiza MirAnalyst Balochistan & Tribal Areas

C O N T E N T SS.#.Description Page

PART ONEINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

1.2014 Crimean Crisis: Background InformationWikipedia1

2.5 Things You Should Know About Putins Incursion into CrimeaForbes5

3.The Russian Quest for Warm Water PortsGlobal Security Organisation8

4.The Likely Impact of the Ukraine CrisisMalik Muhammad Ashraf10

5.Ukraine; Spheres of Influence, State Sovereignty and Non-InterventionPolitact Analysis11

6.The Ukraine/Crimea Crisis: Ramifications for the Middle EastYossi Alpher13

7.Russia, Ukraine, and the Testing of American HegemonyRobert W. Murray and Luke M. Herrington17

8.Historical Perspective of Pakistan USA Relations; Lessons for PakistanUmbreen Javaid & Imrana Mushtaq21

9.Challenges and Opportunities for Pak-China Security Environment in the Perspective of United States India Strategic PartnershipIram Khalid and S. Shahbaz Hussain33

10.Higher than the Himalayas or Rockier than the Rockies? A Comparison of Sino-Pak and Pak-US RelationsQandeel Siddique42

11.Sino-US Relations: Partnership, Coevolution, or Competition?Aarish U. Khan45

12.New Great Game and Limits of American PowerAir Cdre. (R) Naveed Khaliq Ansaree51

13.The New Great Game: A Strategic AnalysisKhalil-ur-Rehman63

14.Geneva Deal: Beginning of a New Era between Iran-Us RelationsMuhammad Saleem Mazhar & Naheed S. Goraya75

15.Boao Conference China: Showcasing Pakistans InterestDr. Manzoor Khan Afridi86

16.The Syrian Civil War: Political and Military State of PlayCharles Lister and William McCants87

17.The Syria Conflict and Its Impact on PakistanQandeel Siddique92

PART TWOASIAN AFFAIRS

18.Prospects of India-Pakistan RelationsMuhammad Munir100

19.Trade Liberalization between India and Pakistan: Focusing Direct and Indirect BarriersSyed Imran Sardar106

20.The Kashmir Dispute: Key to South Asian PeacePervaiz Iqbal Cheema117

21.Water Scarcity in South Asia: A Potential Conflict of Future DecadesIram Khalid; Asia Mukhtar & Zanib Ahmed127

22.India and China in the Indian Ocean: A Complex Interplay of GeopoliticsSidra Tariq138

23.South Asian Stability-Instability Paradox: Another PerspectiveDr. Adil Sultan153

24.Emerging Trends in Geo-politics of Asia Pacific RegionMuhammad Shafiq162

25.Chinas Engagement with Regionalization in South and Southeast Asia: A Comparative PerspectiveVasiliki Papatheologou, Rizwan Naseer & Musarat Amin172

26.India-Afghanistan Strategic Relations: Implications for PakistanSaman Zulfqar178

27.The Changing Character of the Durand LineAmina Khan and Christian Wagner183

28.Stabilizing Afghanistan: Agenda 2015Attar Rabbani190

29.Pakistan as Trade and Energy Corridor vis--vis SCODr. Shabir Ahmad Khan195

30.Prospects of Pakistan-Central Asia Economic RelationsUmbreen Javaid and Naheeda Naseem205

31.Strengthening Pakistan-Turkey Ties: Social DimensionMaria Syed210

PART THREEPAKISTAN AFFAIRS

32.Ethnic Politics: An Issue to National Integration (The Case of Pakistan)Rehana Saeed Hashmi216

33.Challenges and Options for Pakistani Media in the 21st CenturyAbida Eijaz; Bushra Hameedur Rahman: Rana Eijaz Ahmad & Jawad Ashraf Butt226

34.Musharraf on Trial: A Preliminary Critique of the Law of High TreasonSyed Sami Raza233

35.Pakistans Civil-Military Relations General UneaseThe Economist248

36.The Search for Common Ground: CivilMilitary Relations in PakistanLauren Greenwood and Gowthaman Balachandran249

37.Impact of Terrorism on PakistanNadia Mushtaq Abbasi261

38.Genesis of Militancy in PakistanMaryam Azam279

39.Tackling the Emerging Middle East; Managing Saudi and Irani InfluencesPolitact290

40.Karachi: Through Transitions and TransformationsAli Arqam293

41.Balochistan (From Strategic Significance to US Involvement)Muhammad Saleem Mazhar; Umbreen Javaid and Naheed S. Goraya302

42.Peace Talks with Taliban: Expectations, Realities and Way ForwardAttiq-ur-Rehman311

43.Pakistans Energy Crisis: Causes, Consequences and Possible RemediesSafiya Aftab316

44.Pakistan Selling Family Silver: Hard Times Make Privatisation NecessarySajjad Ashraf320

45.What is Pushing Tax Reform in Pakistan?Safiya Aftab322