This Issue Brief analyses the structural limitations of the Gulf security framework in light of Israelâs unprecedented attack in Doha on 9 September, targeting Palestinian Hamas leadership. While the attack marked a dangerous escalation of Tel Avivâs regional adventurism, it also exposed the enduring structural weaknesses of the Gulfâs security architecture which has been defined by entrenched dependency on the United States.
This issue brief explores whether Pakistan can evolve from a traditional âsecurity contractorâ into West Asiaâs 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....
The Jatiya Nagorik Party (JNP)â born out of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) movement, that steered the July 2024 uprising in Bangladeshâ is seeking to break the decades-long dominance of the Awami League and BNP, and advocating for a Second Republic through constitutional reform and centrist, pluralist governance. As it navigates entrenched power structures and competing opposition forces, it faces both great promise and uncertain challenges in its quest to reshape the nationâs political future.
Dr Imran Khurshid's Article on "India-US relations under strain: What went wrong from âNamaste Trumpâ to strategic turbulence" published in BLiTZ on 13 August 2025.
Despite unprecedented outreach by Prime Minister Modi, IndiaâUS ties are under strainânot due to New Delhiâs actions, but because of Donald Trumpâs erratic diplomacy and strategic disregard.
Dr Imran Khurshid's Article on India, the Quad, and Chinaâs Shadow: Building a Coherent Indo-Pacific Strategy published in The Diplomat.
The Quad must evolve from rhetoric to action with a unified strategy that fully integrates India and counters Chinaâs multifront challenge across trade, tech, and security.
Mr Harsh Pandey's Article on How Do Cyprus and Croatia Fit Into Indiaâs Europe Strategy? published in The Diplomat, Dated June 27, 2025.
Dr. Imran Khurshid's Article on published in Eurasian Times on dated June 20, 2025.
A new trilateral axis is quietly taking shape on Indiaâs doorstep, challenging existing strategic equations. Its cooperative veneer belies deeper ambitions that may disrupt South Asiaâs fragile stability.
This comment argues that Pakistan has approached Tajikistan and the Tajik-led NRF to secure a corridor to Central Asia, bypassing Taliban-controlled routes. Islamabad hopes this pressure will weaken Taliban support for the TTP, but risks alienating Pashtuns and complicating ties with China.
Topic:Â âUS under Trump 2.0: Issues, Challenges and Future Directions for India and the Worldâ
Syed Eesar Mehdi's Article Published in Centre for Kashmir Analysis and Research (C-KAR) titled "Pakistanâs Social Media Disinformation Blitz: Orchestrated Propaganda Seeks to Twist Kashmir Narrative Amid Pahalgam Tragedy" on April 27, 2025.
The International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS), New Delhi, proudly partnered with the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (NMCPCR), Jamia Millia Islamia, for a one-day Graduate Conference titled âWorld Order in Disarray: Perspectives on Shifting Geopoliticsâ, held on April 25, 2025.
Syed Eesar Mehdi's Article Published in Centre for Kashmir Analysis and Research (C-KAR) titled "The Battle of Narratives and Perception: Will Pahalgam 2025 Mark the Change in Kashmir Forever?" on April 24, 2025
There was a time when Kashmir was a headline. A buzzword. A flashpoint used by talking heads and politicians far from the valleyâs windswept apple orchards and snow-laced hills. It was spoken of in boardrooms, in war rooms, and in drawing roomsâanywhere but where the real people lived, where the real damage was done. But something has begun to shift, quietly but profoundly. And perhaps for the first time in decades, Kashmir is not being defined by those who seek to fragment it, but by those who have lived, endured, and are now choosing to rebuild it.
If Bangladesh continues to whitewash its past, it risks losing its national identity and the ideals that gave it independence
Given his past decisionsâsuch as withdrawing the US from multilateral agreements like the Paris Climate AccordâDonald Trump may push to reshape the QUAD into a more security-centric framework
When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, much of the West viewed global responses through a binary lens, as usualâus versus themâdefining countries as either supporters of Ukraine or allies of Russia. Western nations, particularly the United States and its European allies, presented this struggle in moralistic terms: democracy vs autocracy, good versus evil, the free world versus an expansionist dictatorships.
Comments
Pakistan Approaches the Northern Alliance to Subdue the Taliban
Senge Sering
This comment argues that Pakistan has approached Tajikistan and the Tajik-led NRF to secure a corridor to Central Asia, bypassing Taliban-controlled routes. Islamabad hopes this pressure will weaken Taliban support for the TTP, but risks alienating Pashtuns and complicating ties with China.
Pakistanâs Ideological Lens: Why Anti-India Narratives Persist
Imran Khurshid
Pakistanâs anti-India narrative is not about concern for minorities but about preserving an ideology that defines India as a permanent civilizational enemy.
Bangladesh's Retributive Justice Imperils Its Democratic Future
Mudassir Bhat
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced exiled ex-PM Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia for 2024 protest crackdowns, in a politically charged trial criticised as unfair retribution. This comment argues that such a verdict risk eroding democracy, drawing parallels with Pakistan while urging institutional restraint for genuine renewal.
The ICT Verdict and Bangladeshâs Shifting Political Currents: Disadvantage India?
Mohammed Shoaib Raza
The commentary examines Bangladeshâs shifting politics after the ICT sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death for the 2024 crackdown. It highlights uncertainty surrounding the upcoming elections, Jamaat-e-Islamiâs push for a referendum, BNPâs resurgence, and rising violence.