Military & Security

Anam Khan Smoke rises following an explosion, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 7, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Donning a white cap that reads in capital letters U S A, President Donald Trump …

Neville Teller US President Donald Trump formally launches the first charter of the Gaza “Board of Peace” in a signing ceremony during the annual 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. Photo Credit: White House video screenshot Key Takeaways Trump’s 20-Point Gaza Plan is Stalling — Despite formal UN Security …

Key Takeaways Central Asia’s Heavy Dependence on Russia Exposed — Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries have caused severe fuel shortages across the region, particularly in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, highlighting decades of over-reliance on Russian petroleum products. Short-Term Policy Failures — Governments in Central Asia have prioritized short-term political stability …

 Rafael Loss with Katrine Westgaard Key Takeaways Russia is building up its arsenal of nuclear-capable long-range weapons and planning for victory in a confrontation with Europe. The Russian goal is to fracture NATO and disrupt the West’s deterrence strategy while extracting political concessions from Europe. Europe has not …

Dr. Pierre Thévenin Key Takeaways US-Iran Deal May Undermine Freedom of Navigation — The Islamabad Memorandum’s wording (especially Paragraph 5) could allow Iran to impose tolls or restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the 60-day period, violating the non-suspendable innocent passage regime under international law. Broader …

Collins Chong Yew Keat Key Takeaways Strategic Deepening of Ties — The Nikkei Forum and related engagements underscore Malaysia’s growing role as a key partner for Japan in semiconductors, energy (LNG), AI, critical minerals, and supply-chain resilience. This moves the relationship beyond the traditional “Look East Policy” toward high-value …

Dr. Ju Hyung Kim The United Arab Emirates’ move to revive the acquisition and local production of South Korea’s K9 self-propelled howitzer is more than a conventional arms deal. This reflects a broader shift in Gulf security thinking amid the ongoing Iranian war. For years, military modernization in …

Hadi Elis For nearly eight decades, the conflict in Balochistan has been portrayed by Islamabad as a separatist insurgency threatening Pakistan’s territorial integrity. Yet for many Baloch nationalists, the struggle is not about separation from Pakistan—it is about liberation from what they regard as a historical occupation. Their …

Willy Fautre Saudi Arabia’s Yemen policy master, Riyadh’s ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, believes in stick-and-carrot diplomacy—he shows the stick to Yemen’s dissenters and the carrot to Europe’s defense ministries. And it’s a contradiction that now runs straight through Europe’s own legal order. Al‑Jaber is no ordinary envoy. Since 2014 …