Anuradha Chenoy China and Pakistan are reportedly trying to create a new regional bloc that can be an alternative to the increasingly dysfunctional South Asian Association for […]
Glimpses of Iranian Society through Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami’s Lens
From the McCarthyism era in the West to Mao’s Cultural Revolution in the East, films and filmmakers have been at the discretion of their governments. The censorship mechanism in Iran especially resembles the US censorship era, except it is state-controlled like China. One is left to wonder and ask how Iranian cinema thrives in such hostile conditions. One of the main causes includes a vehement rejection of Hollywood films and Western values, while a surge in auteur films. In such an environment, a filmmaker is left with no choice but to simultaneously accept the regime’s conditions while discreetly resisting. Not only does the filmmaker actively negotiate at multiple levels, but they also self-censor due to the ambiguity and uncertainty of…
Glimpses of Iranian Society through Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami’s Lens
From the McCarthyism era in the West to Mao’s Cultural…
Engineering Fear 2.0: From the Strait of Hormuz to the Streets of Amman – How the Iran War is Reshaping the Middle East
In a previous article for the Middle East Outlook, "Engineering…
Calibrated Re-engagement: India’s New FDI Framework and the Return of Chinese Capital
On 10 March 2026, the Indian government approved a proposal…
The Hormuz Paradox: American Power Projection Meets Strategic Fragility
The recent talks between the Iranians and the Americans in…
NON-ALIGNMENT 2.0: A pretence or path for the global south?
For scholars, policymakers and strategic analysts navigating the fragmented architecture…
Survival or Hegemony? Why Iran Can’t Kill its Nuclear Ambition
In the summer of 2025, at the behest of Israel,…
China’s Quiet Game in the Iran-Israel Conflict
Summary: China’s muted role in the Iran-Israel conflict reveals its…
Review of Ashok K. Behuria’s Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan: Origin, Evolution and Future Portents
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan: Origin, Evolution and Future PortentsAshok K. BehuriaIR, Political…
Survival Beyond Death: Gendered Violence, Memory, and Identity After the Armenian Genocide
The widespread “atrocities committed against the Armenian people” during the…
The Hormuz Paradox: American Power Projection Meets Strategic Fragility
The recent talks between the Iranians and the Americans in…
As US warms up to Pakistan, India must refashion diplomacy
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the diplomatic reaction in Washington took many by surprise. Despite being a strategic partner, it wasn’t India that found […]
What Explains the Duality of West’s Syrian Embrace and Afghanistan Abandonment?
International relations are rife with paradoxes. Few cases illustrate the contrasting behaviour of major powers, particularly Western actors, more starkly than Syria and Afghanistan, where […]
From Haram to Deterrence: How the Israel-US Aggression May Have Reversed Iran’s Nuclear Policy
For decades, Iran insisted it did not seek nuclear weapons. In 2003, the country’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued an oral fatwa (religious […]
India’s Outreach to GCC: Deepening Ties for the Multi-aligned World Order
Diplomacy is often perceived as restrictive to the pursuit of national interests. However, the disruption in the global order has raised alarm bells for diplomatic […]
From Cold Peace to Cold Crisis: Egypt, Israel, and the Philadelphi Corridor
Dr Syed Mohammad Raghib Since Israel’s war on Gaza following the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Palestinian Hamas Movement, Egypt-Israel fragile status quo, established […]
Israel-Hamas War and the Disinformation Fog
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched surprise attacks across the Gaza border into Southern Israel. The sheer magnitude of these attacks […]
Anti-Qatar Campaign and the Continued Oriental Gaze
Qatar has a knack for earning international headlines regularly and often negative ones. In the lead-up to the global football event, World Cup 2022, starting […]