Trade Wars, Tariffs, and the New Realpolitik President Donald Trump’s second term has ushered in a foreign policy that departs sharply from the liberal internationalist consensus of the post–Cold War era. Instead of multilateralism and institution-building, the Trump administration has embraced transactional diplomacy, tariff-based leverage, and a CEO-style approach to global power. The guiding logic…
ContextAfghanistan’s strategic outlook is undergoing a dramatic overhaul amid escalating connectivity disputes, geopolitical realignments, and regional conflicts. The combined pressures of India–Pakistan instability, U.S. trade friction with India, Iran-Israel hostilities, and Pakistan’s rising diplomatic leverage are forcing Kabul into a balanced posture— nurturing Indian, Iranian, Chinese, and Pakistani ties while maintaining neutrality in broader conflicts….
Context The recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Asim Munir has stirred considerable global attention in particularly regarding what led to the meeting and what could have been discussed. It marks the first-ever instance of a sitting U.S. president holding a one-on-one meeting with Pakistan’s…
Context The recent brief yet intense escalation between India and Pakistan has further exposed the fragile nature of South Asia’s security landscape. The fourday-long tit-for-tat cross-border military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed rivals has significantly undermined prospects for normalization, redefining the rules of engagement and signaling a shift in how both countries may manage their…
The three-phase ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered in January 2025 aimed to end the protracted conflict in Gaza. Despite initial progress, the deal collapsed by late February due to disagreements over its implementation. Soon Israeli forces resumed a ground invasion into central and southern Gaza and expanded into the north of the enclave….
Context In the post-October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the geopolitics of Middle East is fast evolving. This has been accompanied by the loss of Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in December 2024. The inauguration of President Trump on January 20, 2025 has presented unique threats…
Since the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 2020 Doha Agreement, tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have frequently escalated. These tensions reached their peak last year when the Pakistani military conducted targeted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Barmal district located in eastern Paktika province, claiming to neutralize key TTP commanders…
ContextThe chain reaction that got underway in the aftermath of the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel continues to unfold at a tremendous speed. The fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, a key ally in Iran’s axis of resistance against Israel, has triggered profound geopolitical changes in the Middle East, reshaping regional power dynamics. These…
What began as a focused conflict between Israel and Hamas has morphed into a complex regional crisis that threatens to engulf the entire Middle East. Despite intensive diplomatic efforts from both Western powers and Arabian Gulf states, the situation continues to get worse, with military action becoming less a means to peace and more an…
Trump had criticized NATO even in his first term, and the prospect of him getting re-elected is making the European allies worried. Trump has consistently questioned NATO’s relevance, criticized member countries for not meeting defense spending commitments, and pushed for a more transactional approach to alliances. This strategy could lead to several significant outcomes in…
