Criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitism are not the same thing. But blaming Jews collectively for decisions made by the Israeli state replaces political accountability with guilt by identity. Continue reading Blaming Jews for Israel’s Actions Is a Failure of Political Accountability
$100 oil is hitting India and Pakistan through currencies, import bills and household costs, but not equally. India consumes far more imported crude; Pakistan has less economic room to absorb a prolonged Middle East energy shock. Continue reading The Same $100 Oil Hits India and Pakistan Very Differently
Pakistan abstained when Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution extending independent monitoring of Iran sanctions. The vote looks simple. The diplomacy behind it reveals a deeper dispute over Iran, nuclear verification and the limits of the UN Security Council. Continue reading Why Did Pakistan Abstain on the UN Vote to Monitor Iran Sanctions?
The Iran war is no longer only a battlefield story. Higher fuel prices are reaching American households, affecting family budgets and inflation expectations. Government data, polling and Americans themselves reveal how the conflict is being felt at the petrol pump and kitchen table. Continue reading The Iran War Has Reached the American Kitchen Table
When Donald Trump welcomes Xi Jinping to Washington this week, much of the attention will naturally fall on tariffs. I will be watching something else. Iran. Trump and Xi are due to meet at the White House on 24 September. Their immediate economic task is difficult enough. A fragile U.S.-China trade truce is due to expire in November, while disagreements over critical minerals and agricultural purchases remain unresolved. But the Middle East has inserted another problem into the relationship. Washington wants China to use its economic relationship with Iran in ways that support American efforts to pressure Tehran. Beijing has … Continue reading Trump Meets Xi for Trade. Iran May Be the Issue That Changes the Conversation
Israel’s proposed Saudi oil route could bypass three chokepoints while creating a new dependence on Israeli territory. Continue reading Israel’s Pipeline Could Bypass Three Oil Chokepoints. It Could Also Make Saudi Arabia Dependent on Israel
I did not discover weapons systems through the Iran war. As a boy growing up around PAF Base Sakesar, I used to read Jane’s Weapons Systems with the fascination other children reserved for sports magazines. Aircraft interested me. So did … Continue reading The Profits of Perpetual Conflict: What Happens When America Builds an Economy That Needs War?
The author reflects on the lessons learned from Pakistan’s political history regarding the credibility of intelligence claims. Drawing parallels with Germany’s accusations against Russia, the piece emphasizes the necessity for independent scrutiny of intelligence evidence to maintain public trust. Blind faith in secretive institutions can be dangerous and misleading. Continue reading Germany Says “Trust Our Intelligence.” Pakistan Taught Me to Ask for Evidence
From Karachi, I have grown used to seeing Germany’s political map divided by a border that officially disappeared in 1990. Election night brings it back. Television maps turn parts of the former East blue for the Alternative für Deutschland, while much of the old West looks different enough to sustain a comforting explanation: AfD belongs mainly to Germany’s unfinished reunification story. Then I looked again at Baden-Württemberg. The AfD received 18.8 percent there in March 2026, almost double its 9.7 percent result five years earlier, and it captured the Mannheim I constituency. It did not win the state, but a … Continue reading Germany Thought the AfD Was an Eastern Problem. Then the West Started Moving
A reader challenged my argument about Iran with a question I could not dismiss. He said I was using the same logic for Iran and the Houthis that America once used to justify war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I went back to the Bush Doctrine. The comparison became uncomfortable. America argued that waiting for a future threat could become more dangerous than striking first. Iran developed a very different doctrine of forward defence under very different conditions. But a familiar political argument appears underneath both. The enemy may become stronger tomorrow, so military action today starts looking defensive. A weaker … Continue reading When America Did It, We Called It Preventive War. What Do We Call Iran’s Version?
