(By Khalid Masood) Published in 2016 by William Collins (an imprint of HarperCollins), The Naked Diplomat by Tom Fletcher arrived at a pivotal moment when social media was already reshaping global conversations, yet diplomacy lagged behind. Originally priced at £18.99 in the UK (around $24 USD at the time), the book remains widely available today…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction From the vantage point of Lahore, a city that has for centuries served as a crucible of the Sub-Continent’s destiny, President Donald Trump’s speech at the UN was a seismic event. His address has immediately and profoundly altered Pakistan’s strategic landscape. Watched in offices in Islamabad and debated in policy circles…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) The recent tragedy in Tirah, KPK which claimed the lives of both militants and innocent civilians, has once again laid bare the cruel reality of terrorism and the malicious propaganda war waged by India against Pakistan. The Tirah Incident – Facts, Not Fiction According to official reports, the compound where the incident…
(By Quratulain Khalid) Three decades on, Kissinger’s magnum opus remains an essential, if unapologetically self-serving, guide to the brutal logic of world affairs. Few intellectual arenas are as fraught with tension as the study of international relations, torn between what the world ought to be and what it starkly is. No single volume has captured…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction The evolution of warfare has always been driven by technological leaps — from gunpowder to nuclear weapons, and from precision-guided munitions to unmanned systems. Today, the next transformation is already taking shape in the form of directed-energy weapons (DEWs). These systems harness concentrated energy, rather than explosive force, to disable, damage,…
(By Mohsin Tanveer) Introduction Diplomatic gatherings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have long been fertile ground for statesmanship, backroom bargaining, and the quiet forging of global alignments. This year’s highlight, however, has a distinctly strategic undertone. The White House confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with leaders from…
(By Khalid Masood) The strategic environment of the Persian Gulf has long been predicated on the technological superiority of Western-supplied air defence systems, forming the bedrock of the security architecture for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. This paradigm was fundamentally challenged on September 9, 2025, when an Israeli military strike successfully penetrated the airspace…
(By Khalid Masood) In a move that sends powerful ripples across the geopolitical landscape from the Middle East to South Asia, Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have signed a historic ‘Strategic Defence Agreement’. The signing ceremony in Jeddah, attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marks…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) Doha, Qatar – In a move that has sent shockwaves across the Middle East and irrevocably altered the geopolitical landscape, an audacious Israeli airstrike on the 9th of September 2025 pierced the veneer of diplomatic sanctity in Doha. The target: the political leadership of Hamas, gathered to deliberate a ceasefire proposal. The…
(By Khalid Masood) In modern warfare, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) are pivotal for neutralising armoured threats with precision and lethality. These systems have evolved from wire-guided munitions to advanced fire-and-forget platforms, offering armed forces the ability to penetrate sophisticated tank armour. Moreover, they incorporate cutting-edge guidance technologies like laser and infrared homing, ensuring high accuracy….
