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Indian-Pakistan
Terrorism, Trust, and India-Pakistan Relations: Peace Remain Elusive


Afroz Khan

Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism has pushed India toward aggressive, kinetic retaliation, weakening Islamabad's nuclear deterrence and making genuine bilateral rapprochement impossible without visible, credible actions against extremist networks.

USA-India
Divided Commands and Fragmented Lenses: Reconciling American Regional Policy with Indian Interests


Imran Khurshid

US regional strategy operates through fragmented command structures that elevate India and Pakistan in different theatres, producing enduring contradictions. These structural inconsistencies continue to shape—and often complicate—India’s security calculus in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

India-Pakistan
The Deep Freeze: The Stalled Path to India-Pakistan Reconciliation


Zainab Akhter

Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have collapsed into a deep freeze. With official dialogue suspended and military tensions rising, both nations are likely to rely on backchannels solely to manage crises.

Pakistan
Between Ambition and Reality: The Paradox of Pakistan’s Shuttle Diplomacy


Nazir Ahmad Mir

Pakistan is attempting to broker a ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran to protect its own economic stability, which relies heavily on Gulf oil and remittances.

Issue Briefs

Russia-Ukrain
Russia’s Odessa Drive: Geopolitical Imperatives and Competing Visions


Deepak Mehra

Russia’s intensified strikes on Odessa highlight its bid to neutralise Ukraine’s maritime lifeline and assert dominance in the Black Sea. Rooted in historical claims and NATO security fears, Moscow’s campaign threatens Ukraine’s economy, global food security, and regional stability, while exposing the limits of international institutions.

GCC
Structural Constraints and Strategic Inertia: Rethinking Gulf Security After Israel’s Doha Attack


Mohmad Waseem Malla

This Issue Brief analyses the structural limitations of the Gulf security framework in light of Israel’s unprecedented attack in Doha on 9 September, targeting Palestinian Hamas leadership. While the attack marked a dangerous escalation of Tel Aviv’s regional adventurism, it also exposed the enduring structural weaknesses of the Gulf’s security architecture which has been defined by entrenched dependency on the United States.

Pak-Saudi
Beyond Symbolism: Can Pakistan Become West Asia’s Net Security Stabiliser?


Mohmad Waseem Malla

This issue brief explores whether Pakistan can evolve from a traditional “security contractor” into West Asia’s net security stabiliser. The September 17, 2025, Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement marks a pivotal moment, formalising decades of military cooperation between the two countries. Historically, Pakistan has trained Gulf forces, guarded monarchies, and provided military personnel, often in transactional arrangements....