Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Archives

Oil, Ports, and Proxies: The Battle for Hadhramawt and the Red Sea

SAT Editorial Desk December 9, 2025

The expulsion of Saudi-backed forces from Hadhramawt by UAE-aligned proxies signals the collapse of the Riyadh-Abu Dhabi alliance. In Yemen and Sudan, Abu Dhabi leverages non-state actors to secure ports, resources, and influence, while Riyadh prioritizes state stability and territorial consolidation. The result: a regional realignment where Gulf unity gives way to fierce intra-Gulf competition.

Modern Platforms, Evolving Doctrine

Dan Qayyum November 17, 2025

The Gulf’s air-power evolution is increasingly shaped by the fusion of advanced platforms with modern doctrine and faster decision cycles. As regional forces adapt to complex threat environments, partners like Pakistan, whose operational experience spans multiple domains, are becoming part of the broader conversation on future air-power thinking.

An analysis of the Trump Gaza peace plan. Despite Hamas's surprise support, deep divides over security and sovereignty threaten any chance of lasting peace.

The Promises and Perils of the New Gaza Plan

SAT Editorial Desk October 5, 2025

A new Gaza peace plan by Donald Trump has international backing and a surprising partial acceptance from Hamas. However, its journey toward lasting peace is threatened by critical deal-breakers and the unresolved core question of Palestinian political sovereignty.

Anatomy of a Diplomatic Failure: The 20-Point Gaza Plan

SAT Editorial Desk October 1, 2025

A 20-point Gaza peace plan, initially hailed by a coalition of eight Muslim-majority nations, represented a rare moment of consensus in Middle East diplomacy. But this optimism was short-lived. Following a pivotal meeting between US and Israeli leaders, the plan was radically altered, transforming a multilateral framework into a security-centric arrangement that alienated its initial backers and triggered a crisis of trust. This is the story of how a potential breakthrough unraveled into a diplomatic failure.

Recognition of Palestinian State: Symbolism or Real Change?

SAT Editorial Desk September 22, 2025

After more than 65,000 deaths and Gaza’s collapse into famine and ruin, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have formally recognized Palestine. Their move breaks decades of Western policy consensus, signaling a potential turning point in the conflict, but with strict conditions and fierce Israeli opposition, the future remains deeply uncertain.

Israel’s War Without Borders

Muniba Abdul Khaliq September 19, 2025

On September 9, 2025, Israel struck Doha during Hamas–U.S. ceasefire talks, killing Hamas operatives and a Qatari officer. The attack, codenamed “Fire Summit,” exposed Israel’s regional ambitions, jeopardized Qatar’s role as a mediator, and raised suspicions of U.S. complicity.

Institutionalizing Collective Defense: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Region’s Future

SAT Editorial Desk September 18, 2025

The Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement marks a historic shift from informal cooperation to a binding security alliance. Anchored in collective defense and deterrence, the pact reshapes Gulf security, challenges reliance on Western guarantees, and positions Islamabad as a formal net security provider in the region.

Pakistan’s Gaza dilemma: capability without viability. Can it disrupt Israel’s siege without collapsing internally?

Zionism, Gaza, and the Crisis of Civilisation: Pakistan, Gaza, and the Architecture of Muslim Strategy

Abdul Munim September 14, 2025

Pakistan has the military capacity to challenge Israel’s siege on Gaza, but not the strategic insulation of Iran. Its real role is not war posturing but disrupting the default — building structures, alliances, and deterrence frameworks that restore coherence to a fragmented Muslim world.

The Crescent Security Initiative: Envisioning a Pan-Islamic Security Architecture

SAT Editorial Desk September 11, 2025

Israel’s unprecedented strike in Doha has reignited calls for a collective Muslim defence pact. Can the Crescent Security Initiative succeed where past efforts failed?

Zionism, Gaza, and the Crisis of Civilisation: The Exhaustion of the Western-Led Order

Zionism, Gaza, and the Crisis of Civilisation: The Exhaustion of the Western-Led World Order

Abdul Munim September 10, 2025

The Gaza war highlights how Zionism functions as a structural contradiction within the Western-led order, exposing its exhaustion and accelerating a wider civilisational crisis. What is unfolding is not simply another regional conflict but evidence that the very system once projected as the “endpoint of history” is unable to enforce norms, restrain its clients, or reconcile its internal contradictions.

South Asia Times

Middle East and North Africa (MENA)