(By Ayesha Mahnoor) There are books on leadership—and then there are books that redefine leadership at its very core.Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin belongs firmly in the latter category. This is not a comfortable book. It does not flatter the reader. It does not offer…
(By Quratulain Khalid) The illusion of restraint in southern Lebanon has long since dissolved. Over the past months, documented Israel Lebanon conflict ceasefire violations have transformed a fragile truce into a sustained campaign of aerial bombardment, artillery strikes, and ground incursions. Despite repeated international calls for de-escalation, Israeli military operations have consistently expanded beyond declared…
(By Faraz Ahmed) On 28 April 2026, the United Arab Emirates announced its formal withdrawal from both OPEC and the wider OPEC+ alliance, with the exit taking effect on 1 May. The decision ends nearly six decades of Emirati membership in an organisation that has long served as the institutional anchor of Gulf energy diplomacy….
(By Khalid Masood) For over half a century, the security architecture of the Middle East revolved around a single axis: Washington. From the Carter Doctrine to the post-Cold War security guarantees that underpinned Gulf stability, the United States functioned as the region’s indispensable security patron. Today, that paradigm is undergoing a profound structural shift. Gulf…
(By Quratulain Khalid) Introduction Recent diplomatic reports indicate Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz while deferring nuclear negotiations—a move framed as tactical sequencing. However, an assessment of Iran’s economic pressure in 2026 reveals a different reality: converging logistical, fiscal, and storage constraints are narrowing Tehran’s policy flexibility. This data-driven analysis examines Iran’s capacity…
(By Khalid Masood)(A former military officer and security expert) A Familiar Story, A Different Era The sound of gunfire near a presidential motorcade or event always sends a shockwave through the public. But beneath the headlines lies a quieter, decades-long story: how the people tasked with protecting leaders have adapted to threats that never stop…
(By Quratulain Khalid) Introduction: A Shared Climate Destiny In 1877, a catastrophic global famine claimed millions of lives across India, China, Brazil, and Africa—not due to war or disease, but driven by a distant oceanic phenomenon off the coast of Peru. Nearly 150 years later, scientists warn that history may be preparing to rhyme. The…
(By Khalid Masood)26 April 2026 Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad on the evening of 25 April 2026 without a joint statement, without a breakthrough, and without a confirmed date to return. Within hours, President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a planned mission by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction: When a Maritime Chokepoint Becomes a Harvest Crisis The Strait of Hormuz is widely recognised as a critical energy corridor. Less visible—but equally consequential—is its role in global agricultural supply chains. Approximately46 per cent of seaborne urea, one-third of ammonia and methanol shipments, and significant volumes of sulphur (a key input…
(By Faraz Ahmed) I. The Spark: A Reshare, Not a Statecraft On 22 April 2026, US President Donald Trump amplified a third-party podcast excerpt on Truth Social containing the phrase “hellhole” in reference to India and China—within a domestic American debate on birthright citizenship. Crucially, Trump did not author the remark; he reshared it. Yet…
