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The Taliban’s Diplomatic Windfall, the Region’s Security Burden

Afghanistan’s Taliban government is gaining international legitimacy while militant threats associated with its territory remain unresolved. Russia has formally recognised Kabul’s rulers, China is pursuing economic cooperation, and regional powers continue discussing connectivity projects. Yet a fundamental question remains: what verifiable counterterrorism commitments have the Taliban delivered in exchange for their growing diplomatic acceptance? The […]

Badr MoU Places Pakistan At The Heart Of A New Regional Defence Order

Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar and Indonesia launched the Badr MoU on 21 October in Doha, establishing a quadrilateral defence partnership centred on defence-industrial collaboration, technology transfer and military cooperation. As TRT World notes, unlike the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), Badr does not entail mutual defence obligations, and that is precisely its strength. Badr introduces a […]

Pakistan Wins UNSC Consensus As New Delhi Fires Pralay

Hormuz And The Next US Move. Trump says “Now we will make a decision” on further strikes, while Rezaei, fresh from meeting Putin, insists Hormuz stays shut and talks stay off “until the Americans fulfill our seven conditions.” (Axios, Iran International) A tanker was struck by two projectiles about 50 nm north of Qatar on […]

What the 2026 US Midterms Mean for Pakistan and West Asia

The midterm election in the United States on 3rd November 2026 have brought significant changes into the political configuration in Washington as the Democrats have acquired control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This decisive control over the legislature in the US would drastically reduce President Donald Trump’s ability to use his […]

Al-Qaeda and ETIM Recruitment in the Taliban

Read first part: Taliban’s Wakhan Road: Security Threat to China China’s second major security concern, which could create problems for it in the future, is the large-scale recruitment of Al-Qaeda terrorists, including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), into Taliban forces and the provision of Afghan identity documents to them. The Afghan Taliban […]

The Regime Change Delusion

Since the start of this century, military intervention in foreign countries for regime change has become a central feature of US foreign policy. To describe the results of midterm elections in the United States as an antidote to this problem would be an exaggeration. However, there is at least one newly elected senator who unequivocally […]

US Elections, EGO and Iran

So finally, the much trumpeted mid-term elections in the US are over with President Trump’s Republican Party, facing one of the worst defeats in its history.  Democratic Party now dominates both houses of Congress.  As per latest polls upto November 5, 2026, Democratic Party has won 240 seats in the 435-seat ‘House of Representatives’, compared […]

Taliban’s Wakhan Road: Security Threat to China

Despite the Taliban having completed the Wakhan Road and unilaterally opened it on the Afghan side, China’s previously cautious response has now turned into an explicit and categorical refusal. China has declined to open the Wakhan Corridor route and has imposed a condition that the Taliban must take verifiable practical action against anti-China terrorist groups […]

From Kabul To An Indian Operating Table, The Terror Partnership Exposed

India has admitted and is treating an Afghan national, Taqwa, a resident of Paktia with close links to the Gul Bahadur Group, a UN-designated terrorist organization. According to security sources, Taqwa was issued a visa by the Indian Embassy in Kabul in September, travelled to India on September 30, and underwent surgery today. This is […]