A Turning Point: The Gulf Reorders Itself, and Pakistan Moves to the Centre
For eighty years, the security of the Middle East ran through Washington. Gulf monarchies bought American arms and hosted American bases, and in return they assumed the guarantee would hold when it counted. Today that assumption is being retired. What is taking its place is a regional order built by the region’s own powers,…
A Sacred Red Line: The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and the Imperative of Collective Deterrence
The security architecture of the Middle East has entered an acutely volatile and unprecedented phase following the latest Houthi aggression directed towards the holiest sanctuary of Islam. On 16 September 2026, coalition air defence systems successfully intercepted an armed unmanned aerial vehicle launched by the Iran-backed militia just prior to its entry into the…
The First Priority: Why Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed Must Put Digital Independence at the Top of the OIC’s Agenda
Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed assumes leadership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at a moment of acute technological emergency. The fifty-seven member states of the OIC are not merely confronting an economic development gap or a governance deficit. They are operating under a structural condition in which the digital systems governing their communications,…
The Houthi Militia: From Local Insurgency to Regional Power
The announcement by Yemen’s Houthi movement that it has imposed a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the current Iran-US war represents more than another escalation in Yemen’s long-running conflict. It is a strategic signal aimed not only at Riyadh but also at Washington, Tehran’s rivals, and the global energy market. By threatening maritime…
Redefining the “Ceasefire”: Navigating the Post-Iran War Volatility
The regional security apparatus following the intense hostilities of the 2026 Iran War has birthed a highly precarious definition of the modern ceasefire. While formal agreements like the June 2026 Islamabad Memorandum are technically holding, the reality on the ground is characterised by regular, low-intensity skirmishes and calculated proxy engagements. This volatile new paradigm…
The Unpopular War: An Analysis of the 2026 Iran Conflict’s Historic Unpopularity
The military engagement between the United States and Iran, launched on February 28, 2026, under the banner of Operation Epic Fury, has fundamentally altered the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. Yet, perhaps more notably, it has shattered all modern precedents regarding domestic support for American military intervention. By June 2026, analysts have reached…
Repositioning in the Post-Galwan Era: From Continental Balancing to Global Diplomatic Centrality
The geopolitical landscape of South Asia has undergone a profound structural transformation. While the June 2020 Sino-Indian clash in the Galwan Valley established a new strategic reality along the Himalayan frontier, developments throughout 2026 have fundamentally altered Pakistan’s regional and international position. India’s unilateral constitutional and cartographic changes concerning Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh strengthened…
Breaking the Nuclear Deadlock: Kazakhstan’s Strategic Leverage in the US–Iran Ceasefire Negotiations
The current phase of back-channel diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran has reached a critical juncture, with the final disposition of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile emerging as the primary obstacle to a sustainable regional settlement. Following the military operations conducted by a joint United States and Israeli coalition against major Iranian nuclear sites,…
