Brig (R) Asif Haroon Raja
Fragile Diplomacy and Strategic Coercion: The Unfinished US–Iran Dialogue in Islamabad
Asif Haroon Raja The atmosphere in both Pakistan and Iran was initially one of cautious optimism when Pakistan successfully brokered…
US–Iran Fragile Pause: A Ceasefire on the Brink
Asif Haroon Raja The confrontation between the United States and Iran entered a critical phase in early April, when Donald…
Reflections on the War Against Iran and Pakistan’s Diplomatic Coup
By Asif Haroon Raja After the 12-day war in June, in which the United States and Israel failed to achieve…
Afghanistan at the Crossroads: Proxy War, Strategic Ingratitude, and Pakistan’s Red Lines
By Asif Haroon Raja A Perplexing Question Afghanistan shares borders with six countries—yet why is “jihad” declared obligatory only against…
Balochistan Conundrum: Between Geopolitics and Internal Fault Lines
By Asif Haroon Raja Strategic Importance of Balochistan Balochistan occupies a pivotal geographic position, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, and sitting…
War at an Impasse: Escalation, Strategic Fatigue, and the Narrow Path to Peace
Washington’s early assumptions of a swift and decisive victory—through air dominance, shock-and-awe tactics, and the triggering of internal dissent within…
Iran’s Unyielding Resistance, Expanding War Dynamics and Pakistan’s Diplomatic Masterstroke
By Asif Haroon Raja The ongoing war has entered an extremely dangerous phase. A review of the events of the…
The Re-Alignment of the Middle East After the Iran War
The architects of the war operated on flawed assumptions. It was believed that a politically, economically, and militarily strained Iran…
Shifting Global Fault Lines and Trump’s Strategic Predicament
By Asif Haroon Raja Anti-war protests have spread across all 50 states of the United States, reflecting deep public unease…
The Third Gulf War
Asif Haroon Raja The war in the Persian Gulf began with U.S. strikes on 28 February, justified on what increasingly…
Who Will Blink First:Trump in QuandaryPart II
Asif Haroon Raja As the war drags on, President Donald Trump faces an increasingly difficult strategic dilemma. Despite overwhelming military…
Who Will Blink First – Iran, Israel or the United States?Part I
Asif Haroon Raja The war initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran has now entered its seventeenth day,…
Strategic Realignments in West and South Asia, & Current US-Iran Standoff
By: Asif Haroon Raja The June Israel–Iran war marked a critical inflection point in regional geopolitics. What began as a…
Enough Is Enough
By: Asif Haroon Raja Pakistan’s present turmoil did not emerge overnight. It is the cumulative result of political engineering, flawed…
Warlike Situation in Iran and Unrest in Balochistan
On 31 January 2026, Indian-sponsored terrorists operating under Fitna al-Hindustan launched coordinated attacks across multiple locations in Balochistan, including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki,…