My Reflections

The recent conflict triggered by India has once again exposed the fragile underpinnings of South Asia’s strategic balance. While the world was watching flashpoints in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, a familiar tension reignited in the subcontinent — one that could have spiraled into a major regional war had it not been for the presence of nuclear deterrents and calibrated restraint by Pakistan. The broader global environment today is characterized by multipolar flux. The United States is recalibrating its alliances, China is asserting itself across multiple domains, and middle powers are jockeying for influence in a reconfigured international order. In such a world, India aspires to position itself as a counterweight to China and a preferred partner for the West. However, its recent misadventure against Pakistan, and the fallout that followed, have punctured several illusions about its military prowess, strategic judgment, and global standing. A Conflict of Narratives and Capabil...

The Middle East is experiencing a seismic geopolitical transformation. At its core is a strategic U.S.-Israeli agenda aimed at reshaping the regional balance of power—curbing Iran’s influence, neutralizing its proxies, and embedding Israel into a broader Arab security architecture. While this may appear distant to the average Pakistani observer, its ramifications stretch far beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Washington’s goals are clear: deny Iran nuclear capabilities, roll back its proxy militias in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, protect Israel from existential threats, and prevent Moscow or Beijing from establishing permanent strategic footprints in the region. Israel, serving as the operational spearhead of this policy, has already degraded Iranian-affiliated militias. What once were “shadow wars” are now becoming open confrontations. Caught between shifting tectonic plates are the Gulf States. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is being positioned as the linchpin. In exchange for security guara...