REGIONS

Nadia Hilmie The leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s opposition leader Cheng Li-wen, made a rare and historic visit to China from April 7 to 12, 2026. This was the first visit by a sitting KMT leader since 2016, and it came at the official invitation of Chinese …

Arthur Michelino Trump’s suggestion that the United States and Iran might co-administer toll revenues in the Strait of Hormuz has been walked back by the White House within hours. Actually, there is not even a serious reason to believe the joint venture specifically survives the two-week ceasefire window …

Dimitra Staikou As Henry Kissinger once observed, diplomacy is ultimately the art of limiting power. In Pakistan’s case, however, the late-March 2026 ceasefire between the United States and Iran did not demonstrate diplomatic strength—it exposed its limits. Rather than shaping outcomes, Islamabad revealed that it lacks both the …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh Behind the sealed doors of Islamabad, the negotiations between the United States and Iran were never about drafting a mere “agreement.” What unfolded was something far more intricate—an extension of conflict itself, reconfigured into the language of diplomacy. Public imagination, ever hungry for binary conclusions, …

Top U. S. and Iranian officials met in Islamabad to discuss ending their ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has caused significant harm. Key topics include Iran’s demand for a ceasefire in Lebanon, where fighting has resulted in nearly 2,000 fatalities among Hezbollah militants since March. Iran …

Top finance officials from around the world are meeting in Washington this week due to the impacts of the ongoing war in the Middle East, which follows the disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World …

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U. S. Navy would begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following unsuccessful talks with Iran, endangering a fragile two-week ceasefire. Trump stated that the Navy would take action against vessels in international waters that had paid Iran a …

Pakistan has spent the last year or so carefully building Washington’s confidence while maintaining a functional relationship with Tehran. Wasay Mir On April 7, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a ceasefire between the United States and Iran had been reached. “Both parties have displayed remarkable wisdom …

  James Holmes A prolonged crisis in Hormuz could drive the US Navy out from its longstanding base in Bahrain. Trouble would inevitably follow. This week’s ceasefire aside, the portents are grim for the US Navy’s long-term posture in the Middle East and beyond. Even if the Trump …