The rule-based country narrative operates by turning complex societies into moral shortcuts. We see this when people invoke Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Afghanistan as the only possible outcomes for women in the East. This binary creates a world where you are either a liberated Western citizen or a victim waiting for rescue. Is it possible that freedom is a lived practice rather than a passport privilege? The avoidance of complexity allows observers to erase cities like Karachi. In Karachi, freedom exists in the cracks of a messy, vibrant reality that does not fit Western expectations. It is a freedom negotiated … Continue reading Why Being a “Rule-Based Country” Is Just a Geography Test for Women