The Question of Multipolar World Order
Since 2017, when China became a global economic power, realist scholars like John Mearsheimer have argued that the global order is shifting from unipolar to multipolar. During Trump’s first term and Joe Biden’s presidency, neither administration placed much emphasis on this shift — both were fixated on containing China. Trump’s second-term administration still has not […]
Moscow Format’s Blind Spot: Counterterrorism Without Accountability
At the eighth Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for helping the Taliban government strengthen its counterterrorism capabilities. He said Moscow supports material, technical and expert assistance for Kabul, along with cooperation between intelligence and security services, and he rejected any NATO troop deployment for that purpose. The remarks came […]
Afghanistan, Militancy, and Pakistan’s Security Strategy
Pakistan faces a persistent and complex security threat emanating from Afghanistan, shaped by an Afghan interim government reluctant to act decisively against anti-Pakistan militants; militancy expanding from physical sanctuaries into propaganda, recruitment, and digital operations; more assertive Indian interference; and governance gaps at provincial levels that allow militant networks to develop social and operational roots. […]
What is the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement?
The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on 7 August 2026 by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, commits the three states to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all. It builds on the 2025 Pakistan–Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement and decades of military cooperation. This backgrounder explains its origins, its provisions, Pakistan’s position, and the first test it faced during the Houthi escalation of September 2026.
Moscow Fortification of Tajik Border Exposes Taliban Counter-Terrorism Failure
Russia’s recent military buildup along the Tajik-Afghan border exposes the stark reality behind Kabul’s unfulfilled counter-terrorism pledges. Despite becoming the first nation to recognize Taliban rule in July 2025 and delisting the group as a terrorist organization, Moscow’s actual security posture has shifted from engagement to active containment. Statements from Alexander Sternik, Director of the […]
Decoding Moscow’s Strategic Stakes in Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
The security setup along the Pak-Afghan border has been further splintered after a series of precision night raids by Pakistan against the alleged infrastructure of militants in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces. Islamabad said the operations had neutralised several combatants and high value logistical nodes while the Taliban leadership said that there were civilian casualties, […]
Review: “Gender Harm: Women Police and Climate Security” by Namra Humza
Climate change can’t be experienced as a gender-neutral crisis. Droughts, floods, economic decline, displacement, and environmental insecurity affect entire communities; however, their consequences aren’t equally distributed across social groups. For women, living within deep-rooted patriarchal structures, climate carnage delivers a tidal blow to a second layer of insecurity, encompassing displacement, loss of privacy, sexual violence, […]
Escalating Internal Resistance Shatters Taliban Governance Claims
The rapid expansion of organized armed resistance across multiple Afghan provinces demonstrates the profound fragility and deteriorating authority of the ruling Taliban regime in Kabul. Anti-Taliban coalitions, including the Afghanistan United Front, National Resistance Front, and National Independence Front, have significantly escalated coordinated operations against military installations, intelligence headquarters, and administrative centers. This widening wave […]
Habeas Corpus Answers Enforced Disappearance Claims in Pakistan
On the morning of 23 July 2026, District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar set out from Quetta for the sessions court in Mastung. He never reached it. Gunmen on the national highway opened fire on his vehicle, took his life and his guard’s life and seriously wounded a fellow judge, Tariq Lashari. The bullets […]