A Strategic Pathway for Pakistan’s Economic and Defence Transformation Abstract A single missile arcs across the night sky and slams into the Strait of Hormuz. In an instant, the world’s lifeline ruptures. Tankers burn, oil chokes, drinking water vanishes, shelves empty, and markets convulse. By dawn, oil prices have doubled, then tripled. Fuel pumps sputter…
From A Fragile Truce to Regional and Equitable Reckoning The protracted marathon in Islamabad did not produce a grand bargain. It did not need to. AbstractBeyond the Ceasefire takes us on a journey through the historic yet fragile truce brokered by Pakistan between Washington and Tehran, a dialogue unseen for 47 years. But this isn’t…
“No Complications” Greenfield Port With Courtesy and thanks to “The Nation” Opening NarrativeThe April 2026 disruption of the Strait of Hormuz (and the implied threat to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait) has opened a rare 5–10 year window for Pakistan to strive for a permanent share of regional transshipment. Pakistani ports have already responded: Karachi handled a…
Having lived and worked in the UAE for more than a decade, it was heart-wrenching for me to see my second home come under a reign of fire. The once business capitals of the Middle East are in a shambles, as corporates, investors and tourists are keeping their fingers crossed. Likewise, the death and destruction…
The current turbulent times have made international relations increasingly unpredictable. They are increasingly influenced by conflict, coercion, and the decline of the norms that once governed state behavior. The escalating confrontation between the United States and Iran has brought into sharp focus the reality that the so-called rules-based international order is under severe strain, if…
How the 2026 Middle East War Shattered American Hegemony The Empire did not Fall in a Single Battle. It Fell in The Silence of Allies Who Declined to Answer the Phone. In November 1956, British and French paratroopers descended on the Suez Canal and seized it with the confident swagger of men who believed the…
Security Dilemmas, Strategic Distrust, and Regional Power Competition Abstract Pakistan–Afghanistan relations remain among the most complex and volatile bilateral relationships in South and Central Asia. Despite deep historical, cultural, and geographic linkages, the relationship is increasingly defined by security tensions, strategic mistrust, and competing regional interests. The return of the Taliban in 2021 was expected…
Shakil R. Crafting a New Era of Geopolitical ThrillersAn Interview with Air Cdre (Retd.) Dr. Shakil R. Sheikh, Author of Shadow: The SENTRY Directive Introduction Air Cdre (Retd) Dr. Shakil R. Sheikh represents a unique intersection of disciplines: a retired PAF Aerospace Engineer turned strategic storyteller. In an exclusive interview conducted in Islamabad, Defence Journal…
The May 2025 Air War between the PAF and the IAF will go down in history as the largest Beyond Visual Range (BVR) battle between two nuclear-armed neighbours. So too would the consequences of a 7-nil loss for the IAF, which resulted in a ‘strategic paralysis’ of the Indian political and military leadership. This consequential…
The Treaty of Westphalia is considered to be the foundation and a reference point for the conceptual establishment of the idea of a “Nation State”. It solidified the notions of territorial sovereignty, state autonomy, and the structure of the international system. Signed in 1648, the treaty stabilised patterns of interstate conduct it reinforced. Since 1648,…
