The Cult of the Celebrity-Politician: Why Charisma is South Asia’s Greatest Democratic Threat
South Asia’s democracies are being hollowed out by the cult of celebrity-politicians. Charisma is eclipsing competence, leaving institutions weakened.
Sergio Gor’s Nomination and the Return of US Cold War Strategy in South Asia
The nomination of Sergio Gor as USS ambassador to India signals a major strategic shift. More than a diplomatic appointment, it marks Washington’s revival of Cold War-era thinking, with Gor tasked to manage South Asia through a lens of loyalty, security, and transactional politics.
A Step Toward Stability: Afghanistan’s Pledge to Disarm the TTP
Afghanistan has pledged to disarm and relocate the TTP—a potential breakthrough in regional counterterrorism efforts.
The Megacity Meltdown: South Asia’s Urban Crisis
South Asia’s megacities are a brutal paradox—gleaming towers overshadowing crumbling infrastructure. As cities like Delhi, Dhaka, Karachi, and Lahore buckle under pollution, inequality, and dysfunction, the urban crisis can no longer be ignored.
India’s Double Speak: The SCO Charter and Home Truths
At the recent SCO forum, India urged China to uphold anti-terror norms. Yet India’s own regional conduct, marked by bloc politics, proxy warfare, and assassinations, casts doubt on its credibility as a responsible global actor.
The Shared Storm: South Asia’s Climate Crisis
As monsoon floods return, South Asia faces a deeper crisis: climate change. Vanishing glaciers, rising seas, and food insecurity threaten the region’s future. Without urgent cooperation, this climate time bomb could trigger widespread instability.
South Asia’s Youth Bulge: Demographic Dividend or Time Bomb?
South Asia’s youth boom holds promise—or peril. Without real investment, growing frustration could fuel instability across the region.
India’s Agni‑5 Bunker Buster: Strategic Shift & Regional Impact
By equipping the Agni-5 with a massive conventional warhead, India introduces a strategic asymmetry that will force Pakistan to respond through doctrinal, technological, and defensive adaptations.
From Role-Model to Role-Reversal: Modi’s Foreign Policy Faces Uncomfortable Questions Amid Trump-Munir Meeting
As Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir met former U.S. President Donald Trump at the height of the Iran-Israel crisis, a quiet but telling shift is unfolding in South Asia’s geopolitical theatre. What was once India’s boastful perch as the West’s “strategic darling” is being questioned even within its own domestic circles. In May, a […]
ابراہیمی معاہدہ: مشرق وسطیٰ کا نیا منظرنامہ
ٹرمپ کا خلیجی دورہ، اربوں ڈالر کے معاہدے، اور معاہدہ ابراہیم مشرق وسطیٰ کی نئی سیاست کا پیش خیمہ بن رہے ہیں۔ پاکستان جیسے ممالک کیلئے یہ لمحۂ فکریہ ہے کہ وہ اپنا راستہ کیسے متعین کریں۔