ContextAfter several rounds of intensive negotiations mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend their ceasefire despite failing to achieve a major breakthrough. The decision followed a series of fierce cross-border clashes that caused heavy casualties on both sides. According to Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both countries also consented to establish…
Gaza Plan and the Middle East Security Alignments Context U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point Gaza peace plan represents an ambitious attempt to reshape the strategic landscape of the Middle East by reframing the terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and subsuming regional security structures into a U.S.-led framework. Unlike previous mediation efforts, which sought to…
Context The recent brief yet intense escalation between India and Pakistan has further exposed the fragile nature of South Asia’s security landscape. The fourday-long tit-for-tat cross-border military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed rivals has significantly undermined prospects for normalization, redefining the rules of engagement and signaling a shift in how both countries may manage their…
The three-phase ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered in January 2025 aimed to end the protracted conflict in Gaza. Despite initial progress, the deal collapsed by late February due to disagreements over its implementation. Soon Israeli forces resumed a ground invasion into central and southern Gaza and expanded into the north of the enclave….
Context In the post-October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the geopolitics of Middle East is fast evolving. This has been accompanied by the loss of Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in December 2024. The inauguration of President Trump on January 20, 2025 has presented unique threats…
Since the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 2020 Doha Agreement, tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have frequently escalated. These tensions reached their peak last year when the Pakistani military conducted targeted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Barmal district located in eastern Paktika province, claiming to neutralize key TTP commanders…
ContextThe chain reaction that got underway in the aftermath of the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel continues to unfold at a tremendous speed. The fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, a key ally in Iran’s axis of resistance against Israel, has triggered profound geopolitical changes in the Middle East, reshaping regional power dynamics. These…
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31st has brought Iran and Israel, and the larger Middle East, to the brink of all-out conflict. Non only that, it has also escalated the great power rivalry, which was already simmering over the situation of Ukraine. For the first time, Ukrainian forces have…
ContextOn May 13, India signed a 10-year agreement to develop and operate Iran’s strategic Chahbahar Port, committing $120 million, along with an additional $250 million loan credit facility for related projects. This landmark deal between Iran and India has unsettled the US and threatened China and Pakistan by India’s full-scale presence next to the Gwadar…
Israel’s latest ground offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, has triggered international frustration over its military strategy towards ‘total victory’ over Hamas, resulting in a significant loss of diplomatic support and growing isolation. With close allies pressuring Israel to change its course, its steadfast defiance carries the growing risk of economic and security…
