
In the fractured geopolitical landscape of 2026, a single question has moved from the margins of strategic discourse to its very centre: who speaks for the Muslim world’s sovereign interests when they are threatened by the expansionist ambitions of regional powers? The answer, increasingly, is Pakistan. From the negotiating rooms of Islamabad to the…

The formalisation of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August 2026 marks a pivotal structural shift in the security architecture of West Asia and South Asia. Signed in the holy city of Makkah by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the trilateral…

The formalisation of a trilateral defence agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Türkiye and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 7 August 2026 marks a watershed moment in Middle Eastern and South Asian security architectures. Signed in Jeddah by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime…

The Horn of Africa has rapidly transitioned from a peripheral maritime flank into a primary battleground for Middle Eastern proxy competition. The core of this friction lies in a concerted attempt by specific actors to embed a structural divide within the region by weaponising Somaliland’s separatist ambitions. This strategy of fragmentation threatens to destabilise…