The art of negotiation during conflict is often romanticised as a moment of breakthrough – a dramatic handshake, a sudden concession, a historic document signed under the flash of cameras. In reality, diplomacy is rarely so cinematic. It is slow, iterative, and frequently frustrating. The recently failed negotiations between the United States and Iran in…
The escalating conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel represents one of the most significant geopolitical shocks to global energy markets in recent years. Beyond the immediate humanitarian and military consequences, the conflict carries substantial economic costs for both regional and global economies. One of the most visible economic effects has been volatility in…
Trump Vs. Iran: Pakistan’s Options In January 2026 – in true unilateral fashion – US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new, one-phrase trade policy: any country that conducts business with Iran will face a 25 % tariff on its trade with the United States. This unprecedented approach – to target not just Iran but…
Henry Kissinger, George Marshall, Lee Kuan Yew, George Schultz – two things unites them all. One, they were all masters of foreign policy. Two, they would find themselves at a loss to see how flattery has replaced foreign policy in the Trump White House! Foreign policy has always required a delicate balancing act – security…
Before the recent destruction, the 2022 floods in Pakistan were the most devastating in living memory. This was reflected in these grim numbers from the World Bank. GDP hit of around 2.2%, 8 million people displaced, around 9 million pushed below the poverty line, 33 million affectees, 1730 dead, direct loss of $14.9B and economic…
In the aftermath of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, one word became a popular addition to the vocabulary of almost everyone in the world – leverage! This refers to the use of debt or borrowed funds to amplify returns on an investment. Simply put, leverage makes a sweet deal sweeter! It turned out to be one…
Quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat. This is Greek for literally, “those whom God wishes to destroy, he first deprives of reason”. In the recent past, this adage was transposed to English literature as “whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad”. In both cases, it is a stark reminder of how social order…
Let’s face it – the human brain is like the Wi-Fi signal of your local café: brilliant when it works, but prone to dropping out right when you need it most. Especially when faced with complex problems – the kind that come with multiple layers, conflicting information, and a vague sense of operating in the…
It seems that when it comes to armed conflict, 2025 is a gift (pun intended) that keeps on giving! Now how about this for an unfortunate twist of events? No sooner the fast paced India – Pakistan conflict ended on May 10, three weeks later Israel attacked Iran – a technological Goliath taking aim at…
International politics is the home ground of the wheeling-dealing elite where strategic ambiguity, propaganda, and national interest frequently intersect. With the curse of fake news around our necks, the question of whether truth matters is both timely and complex. While truth is the cornerstone of democratic accountability and reality of existence, it often takes a…
