Kashmir’s Half-Widows: Suspended Between Hope and Loss
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), thousands of women live with a loss that never reaches an ending. They are known as half-widows, wives whose husbands disappeared in Indian forces’ custody and whose fate remains unknown. Unlike widows, they have no confirmed death to mourn. Unlike married women,
Global Influence Redefined: The Global Soft Power Index 2026
In an increasingly interconnected world, a nation’s influence is no longer measured solely by military force or economic dominance. Soft power—the ability to shape international preferences and behaviors through culture, values, diplomacy, and reputation—has become a defining metric of global leadership. The Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2026 highlights
The Israel–Palestine Conflict: The Limits of Diplomacy and the Imperative of a Just and Lasting Peace
Introduction The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts of the current world order. Beyond the borders and history, it raises questions about the right of different peoples to national self-determination and independence, the sovereignty of states, the limits of international law, and security and the methods available
The Abrogation of Article 370 and the Right to Self-Determination Under International Law: A Critical Legal and Political Analysis
1. Introduction The conflict over Jammu and Kashmir has dragged on for decades, making it one of the longest unresolved territorial and human-rights issues on the United Nations’ agenda. It started way back in the first Kashmir war of 1947-48. Then, on August 5, 2019, India’s central government suddenly stripped
Soft Power without Hollywood: How China Is Making Culture a Strategic Asset
The rising power of China has been studied through the lenses of economic growth, militarization, and the structure of superpower rivalry. However, one of the country’s most important strategic approaches has remained in the shade: the purposeful conversion of culture into an instrument of diplomacy. Throughout decades, the global phenomenon
Russia hits Ukrainian train shortly after Boris Johnson and top European officials leave station
A Russian drone has hit a train near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and top European security officials had passed through. No casualties were reported after the strike at Yahodyn, which hit the train’s engine.All the passengers had been evacuated, Ukrainian authorities said. Johnson
Houthi forces have taken control of the entrance to Bab al-Mandab Strait and “several islands” in the Red Sea.
Houthi Advances Escalates Control Over Bab al-Mandeb Chokepoint and Red Sea Islands Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reports that Houthi forces have seized direct physical control over key access points to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait along with several strategic islands in the southern Red Sea. The advance marks a major territorial
Trump makes 9/11 about himself, again
WASHINGTON: In President Donald Trump’s telling at a White House event on Tuesday, two firefighters bodily lifted him to safety from a site near an unstable building after the September 11, 2001 attacks. “And I’ll never forget,” Trump said, “we thought it was coming down on top of us, and
PTI’s Sept 27 Islamabad March: IHC moves to form larger bench
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday decided to constitute a larger bench to hear a petition challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned protest and long march in Islamabad on September 27. IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard the petition filed by citizen Waqas Ahmed. The petitioner
Iran threatens US with new ‘economic warfare’ and missiles as Houthis attack Saudi Arabia
Iran has threatened the United States with “economic warfare” and claimed to have fired an advanced Qassem Basir ballistic missile at U.S. warships near the critical Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. military reported that its vessels successfully evaded the attack, Iranian officials warned they will soon establish a “maritime