REGIONS

Mugdha Joshi The spokesperson for India’s External Affairs Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said in March that “India is actively engaging with member countries of BRICS to arrive at a common position on the ongoing conflict in West Asia.” These talks ended up an exercise in futility, with member states …

Arthur Michelino The American attempt to end the war with Iran on its own terms has also been an attempt to rearrange the region around it. Alongside the terms it pressed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift its blockade, the United States pressed the Gulf and …

Pranjal Saraswat Imagine a policy analyst in Brussels arriving at work on an ordinary morning, carrying coffee in one hand and reports on European cyber resilience in the other. Before her meeting begins, she opens an advanced artificial intelligence platform she regularly uses to map cyber vulnerabilities and …

Taiwan has sharply rejected China’s latest maritime patrol east of the island, declaring that its sovereignty “cannot be violated” after Beijing concluded a days long coast guard operation in waters that Taipei considers beyond Chinese jurisdiction. The patrol came after Japan and the Philippines announced plans to begin …

Sarah Wu North Korea’s latest declaration that denuclearization is a “settled issue” should not be dismissed as routine rhetoric. Rather, it represents a blunt acknowledgment of a strategic reality that many policymakers have been reluctant to accept: Pyongyang no longer views its nuclear arsenal as a bargaining chip, …

U. S. and Pakistani leaders are expecting a framework agreement to be signed on Sunday to end the ongoing fighting between the U. S. and Iran. President Donald Trump announced that the deal is set to coincide with his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned that …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh The headlines trumpet ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon, and along Israel’s northern front with Iran’s proxies. Politicians breathe sighs of relief. News anchors speak of de‑escalation. But let us be brutally honest: this is not the end of war. This is the suspension of war. Across …

Khizar Hayat “Rejoice! For by God, they have handed their land over to us.” And then the world saw how the Arab Commander turned a basket of intended humiliation into the very omen that brought the Great Persian Empire crashing down. Sometimes, in arrogance or in folly, we …

Keir Starmer has a new defence minister but is still facing major challenges, including limited finances and political demands. Even if a new prime minister takes charge, these issues will persist. Starmer might soon confront a leadership challenge from figures like Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former …