Khanum Shafiq

Khanum Shafiq is an independent researcher

September 13, 2026

A New Front Opens in the Middle East’s Energy War

Saudi Arabia has shut down a critical oil pipeline after a drone attack by allies of Iran, opening a new and potentially consequential front in the Middle East war as fighting around

Diplomacy/Geopolitics

The Diamond Dream Is Running Out of Sparkle

Reverend Sam may be a man of God, but he did not get ahead in Sierra Leone’s diamond business through divine intervention. Eight years after he began digging for gems in Kono, eastern Sierra Leone, the rewards have been substantial.

September 13, 2026

Britain Targets the Settlements, but Shiloh Says It Will Not Bend

Diplomacy/Geopolitics

The Jewish New Year being marked this weekend, followed by the approaching Sukkot holiday, would normally be a buoyant period for kosher wine producers

AI Is Giving Art Thieves a New Edge

Diplomacy/Geopolitics

The recent theft of two Renoir paintings from a museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer highlights a concerning trend: art thieves are using artificial intelligence to enhance

Misrepresentation of Pak-Afghan Dialogue — A Pakistan Viewpoint

August 30, 2025

Columns/Geopolitics

In recent days, a Track-II academic dialogue meditated so-called Towards Unity and Trust has become the centre of a brouhaha with former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad misunderstanding the scholarly exercise as a

Signs of Uprising in Sistan-o-Balochistan: Regional Implications of Mossad-RAW Nexus

July 8, 2025

Columns

The Iranian province of Sistan-o-Balochistan, historically marked by marginalization and sporadic insurgency, is once again witnessing waves of unrest. Recent developments suggest that this unrest is neither spontaneous nor entirely local in