In an era defined by nuclear anxieties, great power recalibrations, and regional arms races, the global discourse on nonproliferation must be rooted in nuance, history,
The world is in a war year. Israel’s strikes on Iran, with US backing, have plunged the Middle East into a terrifying conflict. The region is now at war, with global implications.
Iran’s ballistic missile program has rapidly evolved into one of the most advanced in the Middle East, posing a serious challenge to Israel’s air defense systems. The 2025 missile exchanges revealed critical vulnerabilities in Israel’s layered shield, highlighting a shifting balance where offensive missile technology may soon outpace even the most sophisticated defenses.
India’s muted response to Israel’s preemptive military action against Iran in June 2025, and its recent decision to abstain from endorsing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s
With Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” pushing Iran towards regime change, Pakistan faces an immediate and severe threat. Its long border could become a battlefield, nuclear security questioned, diplomatic ties strained between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the economy crippled by oil price spikes and internal unrest.
The recent Pakistan-India crisis redefined modern warfare, highlighting different “Rules of Engagement.” Pakistan showed strategic restraint and used advanced technology to deter full-scale war, while India escalated quickly under nuclear risks. The conflict expanded into cyber and civilian targets, broadening the battleground. Pakistan’s effective use of C4I2 command systems limited Indian advances and maintained balance. India’s aggressive policies and diplomatic isolation were exposed during the crisis.
On the rugged frontier between Rome and Parthia, Armenia became the focal point of a quiet contest for influence. Rather than constant war, both empires relied on diplomacy, dynastic ties, and client kings to assert control. The Treaty of Rhandeia in 63 CE marked a rare strategic compromise — securing peace not through conquest, but through balance and restraint.
Pakistan’s emergence as a nuclear power on May 28, 1998, was shaped by deep security anxieties following the 1971 war and India’s 1974 nuclear test. Spearheaded by leaders like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and advanced under military stewardship, the program combined scientific innovation—led by Dr. A.Q. Khan—with a covert procurement network. The 1998 Chagai tests, responding to India’s Pokhran-II, marked Pakistan’s entry into the nuclear club, framed as a bid to restore regional strategic balance. Despite immediate sanctions, international responses soon softened. Nuclearization has since fostered a fragile deterrence in South Asia—curbing full-scale war while enabling low-intensity conflict, encapsulating the region’s enduring “stability-instability paradox.
![Chess pieces with Pakistan and India symbols face off amid an explosion, symbolizing rising tensions and Pakistan’s full-spectrum diplomacy manoeuvre. [Image via The Diplomat].](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/thediplomat-2020-02-26-7.jpg "thediplomat-2020-02-26-7")
In the silent theater of diplomacy, where words weigh more than warheads, Pakistan choreographed a masterstroke—turning India’s bluster into a backdrop for its quiet, calculated ascent on the regional stage.
![AI and LAWs are changing the rules of engagement. How will this impact regional stability, security, and the balance of power? [Image via Foreign Policy]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michael-Hirsch-AI-future-warfare.webp "Michael-Hirsch-AI-future-warfare")
AI and LAWs are changing the rules of engagement. How will this impact regional stability, security, and the balance of power?