Navigating the geopolitical fault lines of the Middle East has always been a core requirement of Pakistan’s foreign policy, but few acts are as precarious as balancing its deepening alignment with Saudi Arabia against its delicate relationship with neighboring Iran. Managing these competing interests remains one of Pakistan’s ultimate diplomatic imperatives and perhaps reflects a…
In many of our institutions today, whether in workplaces or in public life, we have developed a habit of treating incumbency as a proxy for competence. The longer someone has held a position, the more entitled they seem to be to keep it. This tendency is so ingrained that incumbency itself becomes a kind of…
The modern American presidency depends not only on constitutional powers but on a network of democratic norms, institutional restraints, and public trust that give those powers legitimacy. Many scholars, journalists, and former officials argue that Donald Trump’s conduct in office, and in the political arena more broadly, has weakened both the institution of the presidency…
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a political party in possession of a large parliamentary majority must be in want of a spectacular internal meltdown. And so, with a sense of historical duty and a flair for the theatrical, the Labour Party has once again stepped forward to fulfill its national role: providing the…
The art of negotiation during conflict is often romanticised as a moment of breakthrough – a dramatic handshake, a sudden concession, a historic document signed under the flash of cameras. In reality, diplomacy is rarely so cinematic. It is slow, iterative, and frequently frustrating. The recently failed negotiations between the United States and Iran in…
The escalating conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel represents one of the most significant geopolitical shocks to global energy markets in recent years. Beyond the immediate humanitarian and military consequences, the conflict carries substantial economic costs for both regional and global economies. One of the most visible economic effects has been volatility in…
Trump Vs. Iran: Pakistan’s Options In January 2026 – in true unilateral fashion – US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new, one-phrase trade policy: any country that conducts business with Iran will face a 25 % tariff on its trade with the United States. This unprecedented approach – to target not just Iran but…
Henry Kissinger, George Marshall, Lee Kuan Yew, George Schultz – two things unites them all. One, they were all masters of foreign policy. Two, they would find themselves at a loss to see how flattery has replaced foreign policy in the Trump White House! Foreign policy has always required a delicate balancing act – security…
Before the recent destruction, the 2022 floods in Pakistan were the most devastating in living memory. This was reflected in these grim numbers from the World Bank. GDP hit of around 2.2%, 8 million people displaced, around 9 million pushed below the poverty line, 33 million affectees, 1730 dead, direct loss of $14.9B and economic…
In the aftermath of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, one word became a popular addition to the vocabulary of almost everyone in the world – leverage! This refers to the use of debt or borrowed funds to amplify returns on an investment. Simply put, leverage makes a sweet deal sweeter! It turned out to be one…
