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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 5 October 2026. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

The Mecca Defence Alliance faces its first practical test

Türkiye and Pakistan have stepped up to help Saudi Arabia after it came under attack from the Houthis. The trio's coordination comes at a crucial time

Kaswar Klasra 07 October 2026
Ahmad Shah Massoud smiles during a press interview at his headquarters in Afghanistan, in a photo taken on 28 June 2001.
 AFP

Ahmad Shah Massoud: the man who foresaw 9/11

An Afghan of Tajik heritage, Massoud was the enigmatic warrior who resisted the Soviets, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. So why didn't the US back him?

Kamal Alam 11 September 2026
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posing after signing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on 7 August, 2026. PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE / AFP

Networked Middle East security

The Iran war exposed the risks of being too closely tied to US military posture, which is why some Gulf states are repositioning themselves not merely as consumers of security but as architects of it

Bilal Saab 27 August 2026
Pakistan's Ambassador Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, in New York, on 28 February 2026. REUTERS/Heather Khalifa

Pakistan's UN envoy: there is no military solution to Iran war

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad speaks to Al Majalla about Islamabad's diplomatic role in the talks between the US and Iran, its balancing act between Tehran and Riyadh and the Mecca Pact

Ahmed Maher 21 August 2026
A Pakistani navy sailor mans a weapon aboard a ship amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, at an unidentified location, on 9 March 2026. Reuters

Pakistan’s Red Sea calculus and the end of strategic ambiguity

As Yemen's Houthi militants activate a new maritime front, Islamabad may be compelled to play a more proactive role in regional security

Kaswar Klasra 06 August 2026
Al Majalla

How Pakistan quietly brokered the historic US-Iran deal

Islamabad kept both sides talking even as missiles were being launched. That tenacity looks to have paid dividends in a way that could yet reshape the Middle East's power dynamics.

Kaswar Klasra 18 June 2026
An Indian army soldier stands guard near the Line of Control (LoC) in India's Kashmir region on 19 May 2025. TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP

Are India and Pakistan heading for renewed war?

Since last May's brief yet dangerous military confrontation between two nuclear-armed powers, a tenuous calm has held. But should a new war erupt, the margin of error this time will be far slimmer.

Kaswar Klasra 04 June 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on 25 May 2026. Reuters

How Pakistan became China’s indispensable intermediary

With war closing the Strait of Hormuz, Islamabad has become both broker and bridge, mediating between rivals while keeping Beijing's overland trade routes alive

Shirley Ze Yu 01 June 2026
Awami Rickshaw Union workers holding posters of Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, shout slogans after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in Lahore on 8 April 2026. Arif ALI / AFP

Behind the truce: Pakistan mediation proves pivotal

Islamabad is humming with behind-the-scenes diplomacy to turn this tentative pause into lasting peace.

Kaswar Klasra 09 April 2026
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir pose with US President Donald Trump (C) at the White House in Washington, DC on 26 September 2025. AFP

Why Pakistan is well-placed to host US-Iran talks

Islamabad is uniquely positioned to mediate between the warring parties. It also has more than enough reasons to want this war to end.

Kamal Alam 25 March 2026
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Brazil's President and Workers' Party (PT) re-election candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, greets supporters outside a polling station during the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo on 25 October 2026. Juan BARRETO / AFP
Politics

Lula, the great survivor, makes history

26, Oct 2026

Latin America's iconic left-wing statesman is Brazil's president, again

The Economist
Al Majalla
Business & Economy

Energy security and resiliency in an uncertain world

24, Oct 2026

Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources writes for Al Majalla

Alparslan Bayraktar
Pete Reynolds
Politics

Benjamin Netanyahu is damaged goods in the West

25, Oct 2026

Key voices in the West appear to be throwing him under the bus ahead of the approaching Israeli election

Brian Katulis
Al Majalla
Culture & Social Affairs

The Palestinian flag in France: from student activism to social unrest 

23, Oct 2026

Once a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, it is now being used by different groups to advance their own grievances and agendas

Waddah Abu Jamea
Ukranian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba listens to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General during the alliance's 75th anniversary at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 4 April 2024. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
Politics

Dmytro Kuleba on Trump’s drift towards Moscow

24, Oct 2026

Ukraine's former foreign minister is pragmatic about the war, peace talks, Kyiv's opponent, Washington, the Chinese, and the Gulf. His thoughts are a fascinating insight into Europe's biggest battle

Ahmed Maher

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OPINIONS

Lula, the great survivor, makes history

The Economist
The Economist

Israel’s election may not end its political crisis

Michael Horowitz
Michael Horowitz

Netanyahu, Trump at risk ahead of crucial polls

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet

Europe’s gathering storm

Christopher Phillips
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