The Sahel is a thin stretch of dry land that cuts across Africa. It sits between the Sahara and the savannas. The resources are scarce, and power is in a vacuum; these pressures pit groups against each other,  making the Sahel account for 51 per cent of all terrorism deaths in 2024 . Ethnic tensions run deep. In central Mali and parts of Burkina Faso, the clashes between herders and farmers are now more frequent . These fights didn’t just start recently - instead, they’ve wor

Sudan's devastating civil war erupted in   April 2023  between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hemedti. Sudan faces a challenge not to cease the ongoing violence but to prioritise the discussion on “rebuilding approach” in the aftermath of the civil war. Illustration by The Geostrata In the absence of tangible plans to rebuild infrastructure, revitalise the supply chain, and ensure access to necess

The pattern is all too familiar. A jihadi group operating from Pakistani soil, with state backing, carries out a terror attack on India. If the assault is particularly atrocious, India suspends diplomatic engagement while mulling more punitive responses, including strikes on terror safe havens inside Pakistan and adopting more proactive security doctrines aiming to inflict high costs on state-sponsors of terrorism.  Illustration by The Geostrata Pakistan, fearing its deterren

Techniques of warfare have evolved and are no longer confined to battlefields and the use of military force. The landscape has shifted to incorporate cybersecurity, the media (including contemporary and social media), and narrative building , along with other major global threats, such as environmental and economic threats. Information and the manipulation of human behaviour hold crucial importance in contemporary warfare. Illustration by The Geostrata With the increasing int

There is a monument in Geneva that depicts a giant broken chair, and it stands just across the street from the world's premier organ for international law and cooperation- The United Nations. Originally meant to symbolise the devastation caused by landmines, the chair’s broken leg today serves as a powerful metaphor for the UN itself, as its principal pillars are broken and just one push away from total collapse. Illustration by The Geostrata The Vision was noble, born from

It has been over 1,200 days, and yet, the war between Russia and Ukraine is still ongoing. The world watched the lines of battle shift, peace talks struggle, and hopes for a ceasefire fade, but the fundamental issues fueling the conflict remain unchanged. Both the guns and diplomacy persist in a costly deadlock despite the stakes and efforts of the global leaders, leaving the future of Europe uncertain. Illustration by The Geostrata One such effort unfolded on 15th August, at

In February 2022, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine. And as a response, the West implemented extensive aviation sanctions through the governments and aircraft OEMs ( Original Equipment Manufacturers ) Boeing, Airbus, etc, by shutting down leases. Illustration by The Geostrata Russia responded by re-registering foreign aircraft in Russia. The re-registration effectively nationalised the aircraft, and termination and immediate cessation of support from maintenance to spare pa

In international relations, a "sphere of influence" (SOI) refers to a spatial region or concept division where a state or organisation has a level of cultural, economic, military, or political exclusivity or predominant control. It remains one of the most pervasive phenomena in the practice and history of international relations, yet only rarely have they been taken up analytically. This concept had gained its base mostly in the post-World War II era, which is also known as t

The land of unfulfilled promises and contested identities-Balochistan- stands as one of South Asia’s most complex and misunderstood...

India has a unique neighbourhood, with terrorism spilling over borders, political unrest shaking its periphery, and instability brewing...

The Kurdish search for independence has been a complex and multifaceted issue that has stretched over a long period of time. The issue is...

“The earth will be under one government, and one language will be written and understood, or even spoken, all over the globe. There will...

Iran’s nuclear program and its history date back to its pre-revolutionary past. In the current period, the importance of Tehran's uranium...

Pahalgam, a tourist hub in the Anantnag district of South Kashmir, is the most significant among the two routes of the Amarnath Yatra. It...

In February 2021, the Myanmar military, known as Tatmadaw, seized control from the civilian government after the defeat of its affiliated...

The fragmented parts of Kashmir remain a contentious issue after the invasion of Pakistan during the 1947  Indo-Pakistani War. The...

Israel has often been dubbed the ‘startup nation’ in two different connotations. Its entrepreneurial community boasts of some of the...

Carl Von Clausewitz, a Prussian General, wrote On War  in the 19th Century, hardly imagining a region like Kashmir —a land caught in an...

In his seminal work On War, a renowned war strategist, Carl von Clausewitz, quotes, “ War is thus more than a mere chameleon, because...

The veil of peace that enveloped the Vale of Kashmir was shredded permanently on April 22nd, 2025. At least twenty-six tourists  were...