(By Ayesha Mohsin) Introduction On July 29, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs as high as 25% on Indian imports if a long-sought trade agreement remains elusive. This bold move, therefore, signals heightened tensions in U.S.-India trade relations. For instance, it underscores Trump’s aggressive “America First” trade policy. Meanwhile, India faces pressure…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction In a stunning act of defiance on 17 July 2025, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, known as the Houthis, rejected a U.S. Department of State offer to recognise their de facto government in Sana’a, choosing instead to intensify their Red Sea blockade—a daring protest against what they call Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza….
(By Khalid Masood) I. Introduction The Red Sea Crisis, escalating since October 2023, has spotlighted the Houthi movement’s drone swarm tactics as a transformative force in asymmetric warfare. By deploying Houthi drone attacks against commercial and naval vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for $1 trillion in annual global supply chains, the…
(By Khalid Masood) The Abraham Accords, a landmark initiative in Middle Eastern diplomacy, have redefined regional alliances by fostering normalization between Israel and several Arab states, challenging decades of hostility. Signed in 2020, the Accords have spurred economic, security, and cultural cooperation, but their expansion faces hurdles amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the May 2025 India-Pakistan…
(Ayesha Mohsin) In Saadat Hasan Manto’s 1951 short story Yazid, a Pakistani villager laments India’s ability to choke the rivers flowing into Pakistan, a fear that resonates chillingly in 2025. On 22 April 2025, the Pahalgam attack in Indian Occupied Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives, prompted India to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT),…
(By Khalid Masood) In June 2025, as US President Donald Trump lauded Pakistan as a “serious trade partner” and hosted its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for trade and security talks, a perceptible shift in US–Pakistan relations emerged, stirring curiosity and skepticism across South Asia. This tilt, marked by warm rhetoric from Trump and…
(By Mohsin Tanveer) In June 2025, Pakistan and the United States inched closer to a potentially transformative economic partnership, following a virtual meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. President Donald Trump’s repeated reference to Pakistan as a “serious trade partner” reflects a notable shift in Washington’s posture—away from its…
(By Khalid Masood) The Iran–Israel conflict, culminating in a nine-day war ending on 22 June 2025, marks a pivotal chapter in their decades-long enmity. Rooted in ideological clashes and geopolitical ambitions, this shadow war—fought through proxies, covert operations, and direct strikes—erupted into open warfare, exposing the military and economic toll on both nations. From the…
(By Khalid Masood) On 21 June 2025, the United States, in a reckless act of aggression, launched B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles against Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, killing 24 scientists and wounding scores, according to Iran’s Tasnim News. This unprovoked assault, following Israel’s strikes and escalating tensions in the…
(Quratulain Khalid) On 21 June 2025, the United States, at Israel’s urging, unleashed a barrage of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, igniting a firestorm of regional fury. Iran, bloodied but unbowed, denounced the “criminal aggression,” while its ally, Yemen’s Houthi movement, issued a chilling…
