Defence & Strategy

Is an Islamic NATO emerging? Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia explore a trilateral defense pact reshaping Middle East and South Asian security.

Toward an Islamic NATO?

In a rapidly fragmenting global order, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are exploring a trilateral defense arrangement that could redefine regional security architectures. Often dubbed an Islamic NATO, the proposed pact reflects a broader shift by middle powers toward strategic autonomy as US security guarantees wane. This convergence signals the merging of Middle Eastern and South Asian strategic theaters into a single geopolitical map.

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Bagram Airbase, US Aid, and Afghanistan’s Strategic-Humanitarian Dilemma

Bagram Airbase, US Aid, and Afghanistan’s Strategic-Humanitarian Dilemma

Sources suggest the Taliban has offered immediate access to Bagram Airbase for potential strikes against Iran in exchange for continued U.S. aid. Beyond military leverage, the offer underscores Afghanistan’s acute humanitarian crisis and the Taliban’s reliance on external support, highlighting the complex interplay between strategy, politics, and survival in a fragile state.

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Pakistan’s shift from arms importer to defense exporter reveals how indigenous military industry has become central to sovereignty in a fragmented global order.

Pakistan’s Defense Industrial Breakout

As the liberal international order fragments, Pakistan has executed a decisive shift from defense dependency to indigenous production. Through exports, combat validation, and joint industrialization, Islamabad is redefining sovereignty as an industrial and diplomatic asset.

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Before and After Panjshir: How Anti-Taliban Forces Are Adapting to a Long Insurgency

Before and After Panjshir: How Anti-Taliban Forces Are Adapting to a Long Insurgency

December 2025 marked a turning point in Afghanistan’s post-2021 resistance. Coordinated, intelligence-driven attacks across Kunduz and Badakhshan signaled that anti-Taliban forces have moved beyond symbolic defiance into a sustained campaign of urban-centric insurgency. Deprived of territory, external patrons, and conventional warfare options, groups like the NRF and AFF are adapting through mobility, information warfare, and selective strikes, pointing toward a long war defined by endurance rather than frontlines.

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