On February 5, 2026, the formal expiration of the New START Treaty removed the final terrestrial guardrail of nuclear transparency between the United States and the Russian Federation, leaving global …
Zohaib Altaf
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Opinion Articles
Gulf Crisis to Strengthen, not Weaken, China’s Industrial Edge
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafGeopolitical crises rarely produce only short-term economic shocks. More often they reshape how governments think about long-term economic security and industrial resilience. A serious disruption in the Persian Gulf could …
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Opinion Articles
Flexible Dual-Use Claims could be New Global Trade Chokepoint
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafOn Sunday, the US Navy seized the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Touska. It happened in the middle of a US pressure campaign on Tehran after Washington had expanded blockade enforcement and warned that …
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Opinion Articles
Artificial Intelligence, Targeting, and Escalation Risks in the India-Pakistan Environment
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafThe U.S.-Israel-Iran war demonstrates that artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping military decision-support and targeting processes. In the conflict, the United States has reportedly employed AI tools that analyze large volumes of …
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Opinion Articles
How Quantum Militarisation Is Creating a New Divide — and Why Governance Matters
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafA group of quantum scientists recently published a manifesto warning about the growing militarisation of quantum research, drawing parallels with the nuclear age and cautioning that universities risk becoming extensions of national …
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Opinion Articles
Next Generation Air Warfare in South Asia: Risks and Way Forward
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafIn the early days of May 2025, India and Pakistan engaged in a multi-domain war. It was contested using 125 aircraft with ranges over 160 kilometers (km) as well as a variety …
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Opinion Articles
Understanding the Imperatives of Pakistan’s First Hyperspectral Satellite
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafOn 19th October, Pakistan launched its first Hyperspectral Satellite (HS-1) from a Chinese launch centre. Hyperspectral imaging, as a study published in the Journal of Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience explains, is a special kind of …
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Opinion Articles
The India-Pakistan Cricket Match Is an Alarming Sign for the Future of Bilateral Relations
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafEven the most limited form of people-to-people contact, which in the past was treated as a confidence-building measure, is now being met with outrage and political exploitation. Read Complete Article
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Opinion Articles
Drone use signals India and Pakistan need new norms of engagement
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafClearly defined red lines regarding the use of proxies and low-cost precision systems against strategic assets are requiredOn July 21, reports confirmed that militant groups in Pakistan have begun using …
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Opinion Articles
Hypersonic Arms in South Asia: Racing Toward Instability?
by Zohaib Altafby Zohaib AltafPrecision strikes at blistering speed are increasingly central to India’s military planning. That incentivizes Pakistan to consider a pre-emptive strike.On July 16, India reportedly tested its most advanced hypersonic cruise missile under …