Opinion

How Pakistan’s ‘strategic depth’ on terrorism turned into a ‘strategic trap’

Provinces once celebrated as Pakistan’s ‘strategic depth’ — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — are now insurgency belts where the state loses soldiers faster than it can rotate reinforcements

How Pakistan’s nuclear-terror nexus enters its most dangerous phase under Munir’s dictatorship

The world can no longer treat Pakistan’s internal affairs as domestic. The country has entered a perilous era where a single man wields constitutional, military, and nuclear authority, yet he is unbounded by any accountability, law, or restraint

The grim message behind deadly shootout at Washington

A shooting just blocks from the White House—one of the most secure locations on the planet—reinforces a grim message: there is no place in the world free from terrorism

How Japanese hard power diplomacy is on rise

Japan’s decision to deploy a medium-range missile unit on Yonaguni Island marks a major escalation in its efforts to deter China amid rising tensions over Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific

Illegal and outrageous detention of Indian passenger in Shanghai shows India’s strategy of ‘managing’ China is not working

Beijing’s audacious play and calculated slight of an Indian citizen were aimed at challenging the sovereignty of India and sending multiple messages

China opens ‘Arctic Express’ route: Need to push Indian maritime corridors

India must expand Arctic engagement, strengthen maritime capabilities, deepen strategic partnerships, especially with Russia, and leverage new trade corridors to secure its geopolitical and economic interests amid intensifying global competition

How Pakistan has mastered the art of projecting defeat as victory

Global military strongmen seeking to overthrow governments and install themselves as dictators must learn from Pakistan’s playbook on how to falsely project defeat as victory

Does Hu Yaobang’s vision on Tibet still matter?

According to Hu’s vision, Tibetans should fully exercise ‘nationality autonomy’ and truly be the masters of their own lives. Xi Jinping’s reference to Hu suggests that, even as Beijing pursues the complete sinicisation of its restive provinces, Hu’s vision has not been entirely buried

How Yunus repeats Khomeini’s playbook to bring Islamist rule in Bangladesh

Like Khomeini in the weeks before his seizure of power, Bangladesh’s interim leader Mohammad Yunus still speaks about democracy, human rights and justice to visiting diplomats and journalists, but only the most gullible or dishonest among them believe him

Strategic bonanza: Israel and India unlock next phase of partnership

Israel’s innovation ecosystem and India’s scale and manufacturing capabilities create a natural synergy

A tenuous truce: Can the updated US-Ukraine peace plan actually end the war?

Russia is highly unlikely to accept the ‘modified peace plan’ because the updated version incorporates key Ukrainian and European demands that directly contradict Moscow’s core objectives

Timothée Chalamet’s bizarre Marty Supreme press run taps into a deeper cultural mood

Timothée Chalamet and A24’s wild Marty Supreme campaign, from an orange blimp over Los Angeles to ping-pong heads in New York, turns film marketing into a joyful, viral cultural event.

Beijing’s latest provocation: Time to call the Chinese bluff on Arunachal Pradesh

The Chinese harassment of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh will impact the scope of possible rapprochement between the two Asian powers

G20 Summit: How India and South Africa shaped the Johannesburg meet

G20 nations can give themselves a pat on the back for crafting and reaffirming important decisions on inclusive growth, debt sustainability, disaster resilience and response, climate finance, critical minerals, food security and global governance.