Adil

Will we perpetually be in a multi-theatre strategic environment? @ahmadsaleem_rao and I talk on this at @Strafasia_PK's #StrategicDrive. youtu.be/FuTbTkjrWFk?si…

Pakistan is caught at the intersection of multiple geopolitical fronts - from Afghanistan to the Middle East, alongside pressing internal security challenges. In our latest "Strategic Drive," we break down Pakistan’s multi-theatre security dilemma, capacity constraints, and why state-level diplomacy ultimately has to translate into domestic economic relief for the everyday citizen. Watch the full conversation here: youtube.com/watch?v=FuTbTk… #StrafAsia #StrategicDrive #Geopolitics #PakistanSecurity #ForeignPolicy @adilsultan @Aiza_Azam @f_aider

Some initial thoughts on the potential nuclear cooperation agreement between the US and KSA: Political Implications 1. Iran is likely to further harden its position on the nuclear issues, citing the new agreement with KSA. Their argument would be if KSA is allowed to have complete nuclear fuel cycle, including enrichment and reprocessing (E&R) technologies, then Iran should also be allowed a similar concession 2. UAE (another rival to KSA) will be very unhappy as they were not allowed E&R technologies by the US. The deal with the UAE without E&R was propagated by the US as the new 'Gold Standard' that all future aspirants must meet 3. Israel may use its influence to undermine the nuclear agreement, unless it is part of larger understanding on Israel's recognition, or the possibility of KSA & other Muslim countries joining the Abraham Accord 4. With the US having complete control on the prospective KSA nuclear program, the misperceptions about Pak-KSA SMDA (Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement) must rest in peace Technical 1. China, Russia, South Korea are the leading suppliers of new nuclear reactors, while the US hasn't produced or sold new reactor design in the recent past. But it will have a monopoly over KSA's nuclear industry for the next several decades 2. The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines prohibits the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing (E&R) technologies, unless a strict nonproliferation criterion is met by the recipient. Transfer of E&R technologies had been a sticking point in India-US nuclear agreement, since India is a non-NPT signatory and does not meet the condition. KSA is an NPT signatory but hasn't signed the Additional Protocol, and does not necessarily meet the criterion nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/…

The next episode of #StrategicDrive will be out today. If you have topic suggestions, do 📨. You can see tbe podcast playlist at youtube.com/playlist?list=… @Strafasia_PK @adilsultan @Aiza_Azam

For the “boom boom Tel Aviv” idiots: The biggest mistake people make when looking at war is assuming the objective is to hit the enemy’s capital as quickly as possible. That’s political theater, not military strategy. If you look at the strike map, Iran isn’t behaving like a country trying to maximize headlines but like a military attempting to shape the battlespace. The targets are not random or insignificant. Iran is dismantling the entire American military ecosystem in the region: Early warning radar sites. Air defense systems. Aviation facilities and hangars. Logistics hubs. Fuel and ammunition storage. Forward operating bases. CENTCOM support infrastructure. Bases supporting operations in Syria and Iraq. Naval and maritime surveillance assets. Intelligence collection and communications nodes. Look at jordan as an example. Most people couldn’t point to Tower 22 or Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on a map, yet they’re arguably more important militarily than firing a few missiles at downtown Tel Aviv. Tower 22 supports operations at Al-Tanf. Muwaffaq Salti hosts American aircraft and coalition operations. Erbil supports intelligence and special operations. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters. Kuwait is a massive logistics and staging area. Qatar hosts the forward headquarters of CENTCOM and the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East. These are the eyes, ears, and connective tissue of American power projection in the region. From a military perspective, you don’t begin by punching the strongest part of your opponent. You isolate him. There are several principles of warfare being applied here: 1. Suppression of enemy support infrastructure. 2. Degradation of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. 3. Attrition of air defense and interceptor inventories. 4. Disruption of logistics and sustainment. 5. Political pressure on host nations. 6. Shaping the operational environment before attempting anything larger. The United States does not fight Middle Eastern wars from Washington or even from aircraft carriers alone. It fights them from an interconnected network of bases stretching from Jordan to Qatar to Kuwait to Bahrain. If that network becomes degraded, every sortie, every intelligence feed, every resupply mission, and every interceptor launch becomes more difficult and more expensive. People screaming “just bomb Tel Aviv” fundamentally misunderstand what modern warfare looks like. Destroying a radar site that enables coalition air operations can be militarily more valuable than causing superficial damage to a symbolic target. There’s another aspect people are missing: INTERCEPTOR ECONOMICS. Every Patriot interceptor fired costs millions of dollars. Air defense inventories are finite. Sustained operational tempo places enormous strain on maintenance crews, missile stockpiles, and logistics chains. If an adversary can force you to defend a dozen locations simultaneously, you’ve already begun winning the resource allocation battle. Historically, successful military campaigns begin with degrading command-and-control, communications, air defenses, and logistics before moving to decisive operations. Whether one agrees with Iran politically is irrelevant to the military analysis. What we’re witnessing is not random retaliation, it is a deliberate campaign aimed at systematically degrading the regional architecture that allows the United States and its allies to project military power across the Middle East. Wars are won by destroying capabilities, not by chasing viral videos of missiles landing in capital cities and gay techno songs. The boring targets on a map are often the most important ones

Is our definition of "National Security" outdated? We’re joined by climate activist Ameera Adil to discuss why issues like water security, food security, and gender mainstreaming are often sidelined as "non-traditional" threats when they are, in fact, the essence of our survival. It’s time to rethink how we define and defend our future. Catch the full conversation here: youtube.com/watch?v=0WToJl… #StrafAsia #Podcast #ClimateSecurity #GenderEquality #StrategicForesight @adilsultan @Aiza_Azam @f_aider

Haven't watched it yet? Strategic Drive — StrafAsia's new geopolitics podcast, filmed literally on the move — is live now. Watch [youtu.be/9P-JIIpjHeY?si…] New episode dropping soon. #StrategicDrive #StrafAsia #GeopoliticsUnscripted

"Koizumi’s remarks come as the government weighs updates to key documents outlining Japan’s security policy — including a possible revision of the country’s decades-old pledge not to produce, possess or host nuclear weapons." Japan ‘cannot avoid’ nuclear weapons debate, defense chief Koizumi says japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/1…

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has urged Japan to more openly debate nuclear weapons' role in the country's defense, a rare instance of a sitting Cabinet member broaching the highly contentious issue. ebx.sh/HPbCRn

Pakistan and Kuwait are in early talks on expanding their defence partnership in exchange for greater energy cooperation and investment. Kuwait is reportedly seeking a Saudi-style security arrangement that could include Pakistani troops, fighter jets, drones, air defence systems, and other military support. However, Pakistani officials say combat troop deployments are not under consideration, stressing the talks remain at an early stage. Source: Reuters

@Strafasia_PK's latest podcast on the US-Iran escalation. youtu.be/wnanKGBR-qc?si… @Aiza_Azam @f_aider

Check this out guys! We did something fun @f_aider

Talking Geopolitics on the Go! We’re moving our conversations out of the studio and away from the heavy jargon towards a "Strategic Drive," a new series focused on accessible, conversational analysis of geopolitics and security. Watch our intro here: youtube.com/watch?v=9P-JII… Let us know what topics you want to hear about next! #StrafAsia #StrategicDrive #Geopolitics #SecurityStudies @adilsultan @Aiza_Azam @f_aider

The pilot episode of #StrategicDrive by @Strafasia_PK introduces why we wanted to move away from the conventional desk-based, studio-style geopolitical commentary format, and build something more casual, dynamic, and conversational instead. youtu.be/9P-JIIpjHeY?si… #podcast #Geopolitics #strategicaffairs #carpool @adilsultan @Aiza_Azam @nuverah_a @AnasYamin_ @ahmadsaleem_rao

In Issue 5 of The Intern Press, our intern Shahzaib Maqsood analyzes the recent ruling from The Hague regarding the Indus Waters Treaty. He explores how the court's decision reaffirms that treaty obligations cannot be unilaterally set aside, even during periods of intense political tension. #StrafAsia #TheInternPress #InternationalLaw #WaterDiplomacy

Happening Now CAMEA–FES International Conference 2026 Hameed Hakimi (@hameedhakimi), Senior Research Associate at ODI Global, speaking during Working Session I. @ForeignOfficePk @FES_PAK @ISSIslamabad #CAMEAFES2026

"US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding should not turn into Memorandum of (mis)understanding" @CAMEA_ISSI intl conference, Islamabad

@Strafasia_PK's latest podcast on the US-Iran escalation. youtu.be/wnanKGBR-qc?si… @Aiza_Azam @f_aider

BREAKING: Iran announces its full withdrawal from the Memorandum of Understanding due to US violations, with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi saying Iran will exercise "full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, no matter the costs," including Oman's half, adding that while Oman is normally one of two countries controlling the Strait, "for national security reasons Iran must control all of the Strait" during wartime now, per Tasnim. Gharibabadi says that the US not only violated the agreement, but completely dismantled it, especially with the naval blockade on Iranian ports, ships and customers that has just taken effect one hour ago. Gharibabadi adds Iran "will never request negotiations with the United States."

BREAKING: Iran is no longer bound by its MoU with the US, Deputy FM Kazem Gharibabadi says, arguing the agreement "no longer stands" because "America not only violated the memorandum of understanding, but also dismantled it." 🔴 LIVE updates: aje.news/feofxy