My latest essay in The National Interest argues that a Taliban seizure of Afghanistan could be devastating for Pakistan.
Pakistan
COVID & Kashmir Threaten Saudi-Pakistan ‘Special Relationship’
My latest piece examines growing tensions in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Quoted in TRT World about Pakistan, Saudi Arabia & Kashmir
I’m quoted in this story about Pakistan’s tensions with Saudi Arabia over Kashmir in TRT World today:
“βItβs certainly possible that Pakistan will participate in a meeting about Kashmir outside of the OIC framework,β says Rupert Stone, a Middle East analyst, adding that a forum of Muslim leaders that met in Malaysia last year can be an option…The Kuala Lumpur summit seemingly pressured the OIC into taking a more proactive stance on Kashmir, showing it is a useful mechanism for raising the issue,β says Stone.”
No, China Is Not Driving India out of Iran
The investment and security deal currently being negotiated between Beijing and Tehran has provoked fears in the Indian media that China is trying to drive India out of Iran. But, in this essay for The National Interest, I argue that India’s Iranian investments are failing due to US sanctions, not Chinese expansionism.
What do US-Iran Talks Mean for Afghanistran?
The US and Iran have been holding quiet talks. That is good news for Afghanistan, I explain here.
COVID-19 in Afghanistan
My new essay for the Royal Society of Asian Affairs considers the impact of coronavirus on Afghanistan.
The Corona Energy Crisis & Pakistan
I have some thoughts here regarding the likely impact of low energy prices on Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Corona Crisis
In this piece (my first for the Royal Society of Asian Affairs), I provide a general overview of Pakistan’s struggle with the coronavirus.
The Myth of Chinese ‘Debt-Trap Diplomacy’
US officials have repeatedly accused China of ‘debt-trap diplomacy’, swamping poor countries with so much debt that they have to surrender control of strategic assets. But there are almost no real-world examples of this phenomenon, I show in my latest essay.
Pakistan Hits Back at Indian Diplomat’s ‘Israel Model’ for Kashmir Remarks
In my latest story, Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey and others respond to recent comments by the Indian consul-general in New York, who suggested recently that India should build settlements in Kashmir like those constructed by Israel in the Palestinian territories.