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Syria
Silent Lambs of Syria: Alawite Persecution in Ahmed Sharaa’s New Order


Premanand Mishra, Md Asad Uz Zaman

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has upended Syria’s power dynamics, ushering in new political actors, sectarian fault lines, and external alignments. At the heart of this churn lies a community whose fate remains precarious: the Alawites.

Kashmir
Occasional Paper | Partition by Design: “Kashmir-in- Pakistan” in the British Strategic Chessboard


Amit Krishankant Paul

This Occasional Paper weaves together international and regional developments in the 1940s to show that Britain wanted Pakistan and Kashmir as part of the Islamic arc envisaged by it in 1947 as a buffer against the Soviet influence.

Nepal-China
Red Carpets and Red Flags: Bhandari’s Beijing Turn and Political Churn in Kathmandu


Harsh Pandey

Bidya Devi Bhandari’s May 2025 visit to China marks her symbolic re-entry into Nepali politics and reveals Beijing’s renewed interest in consolidating leftist forces in South Asia. This comment unpacks the ideological, intra-party, and geopolitical ramifications of her outreach.

Pakistan
Gowned but Bound: 26th Amendment and the Subversion of Pakistan’s Judiciary


Mohmad Waseem Malla

In Pakistan’s turbulent democracy, few institutions have long held a semblance of reputation for independence and resilience like the judiciary.