Ahmad Fawad Arsala

By any immediate metric, the outcome of the recent U.S.–Iran confrontation may appear ambiguous. There was no formal surrender, no occupation, no televised collapse of the regime. That superficial reading is precisely what obscures the…

In the closing weeks of a volatile and dangerous confrontation between the #UnitedStates and #Iran, an unexpected diplomatic actor has emerged with tangible results: #Qatar. Quietly, methodically, and without theatrical posturing, Qatari…

If there is a single document that reveals Pakistan’s true position in the United States-Iran conflict, it is the Transit of Goods Order, May 2026. Introduced in the midst of a fragile ceasefire, and marketed as a framework for regional…

The recent statement by Taliban officials that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani may return to Afghanistan “as an ordinary citizen” should not be viewed in isolation. It arrives at a moment of intensifying tension between Pakistan and…

Pakistans fornyede forsøk på å fremstille seg selv som en «ærlig megler» i kjølvannet av USAs–Israels krig mot Iran, kollapser selv under en beskjeden gransking. Megling er ikke en tittel en stat bare kan påta seg når det passer seg. Det er…

Pakistan’s renewed effort to cast itself as an “honest broker” in the wake of the U.S.–Israel war against Iran collapses under even modest scrutiny. Mediation is not a title a state can simply assume when convenient. It is a function of…

America is no longer pretending. What used to look like a scatter of foreign policy decisions now reads like a map, and not a subtle one. Step back for a moment and the pattern sharpens. From Latin America to the Persian Gulf to Southeast…

A growing body of analysis, across policy circles, energy economists, and strategic commentators, points to a conclusion many still resist: if the United States successfully concludes the Iran war and consolidates control over the Strait of…

Pakistan has suddenly attempted to position itself as the diplomatic center of the latest crisis between the United States and Iran. Negotiations are being hosted in Islamabad, Pakistani officials speak confidently about “facilitating…

The diplomatic proposals now circulating to end the escalating war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel appear at first glance to be irreconcilable. Washington has presented a 15-point framework that focuses heavily on limiting…