Mariam Shah

China pulled off a diplomatic victory with the historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, undermining US geopolitical dominance over the region and fostering regional cooperation through dialogue and diplomacy.

The region has been agitated by Japan's intention to double its defence spending by 2027. The "major shift" in Japanese security policies has been extensively debated, including how and why Japan is giving up its "pacifist" roots and choosing militarization.

After the most recent release, there are now 32 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 who are eligible for transfer. These detainees continue to be held without charge despite having their transfer approved, with little recourse to hasten their release.

Despite the attention the world is now giving to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan, the question of responsibility and early prevention is still not ruled out. Lack of preventive strategies at home and indifference of the global powers to climate change remain the leading factors that brought on this havoc on vulnerable populations.

Russia-Ukraine crisis has fully exposed the penetrability of Cold War mentality in the consciousness of the US and the West. Perceiving China as a close ally of Russia, the US has directed its venom and blame game at China. This attitude is counter-productive for the peace the US and the West desire in Ukraine.

The world is blatantly ignoring Afghanistan's intensifying humanitarian crisis. While Afghanistan's neighbors are keen on extending every possible support to the Afghan people, the sanctions and unjust freezing of Afghan assets by the US and the West are responsible for the worsening situation in Afghanistan.

If the individuals and nations are crammed by disinformation, it will affect public perception and policy. In 2003, the same propaganda, warmongering and false/misled information by U.S. officials led to the invasion of Iraq, precisely on the claims of WMDs. 

Pakistan wanted an ally on its west border that can oppose India and anti-Pakistan elements. Afghan Taliban being the ideologically driven faction emerged as indirectly favoring Pakistan. Though most of the Taliban are ethnic Pashtun, their ethnicity has never taken over their ideological identity, so in both respects, the Taliban were less detrimental to Pakistan’s security challenges.

The looming humanitarian crisis and the increasing volatility and instability in Afghanistan are evidence of how a forever war has been thrown upon Afghanistan....

Recently, the visit of the United States Deputy Secretary of State Ms. Wendy Ruth Sherman to South Asia has been the center of discussion...