CISS Insight Journal

South Asia in Transition

2026-01-01T07:41:45+00:00

The strategic landscape of South Asia is largely defined by the balance of power dynamics between two nuclear-weapon states, i.e., India and Pakistan. The historically contentious relationship between India and its neighboring states also influences the security dynamics of this region. Instead of focusing on peace through cooperative frameworks, South Asia often contends with a zero-sum security approach. Alongside, India’s ambitions for regional hegemony and its aspirations for a great power status have further undermined the stability of this region. Under the current leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the emergence of a Hindutva-inspired ideology, along with the conceptualization of Bharat as a Hindu Rashtra, has significantly transformed the security landscape of South Asia, thereby making it more complex and volatile. India’s ideological shifts, accompanied by a revisionist historical narrative, coupled with a false sense of conventional superiority and hegemony, have begun to undermine regional peace and stability in an unprecedented way. This paper aims to assess how India’s evolving strategic thought is influencing the regional security environment, peace, and stability. Additionally, the paper explores how Pakistan can respond to these developments as a responsible nuclear-weapon state. It also offers possible avenues for mutual strategic restraint to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Türkiye, NATO and Extended Deterrence

2026-01-01T07:04:08+00:00

This article analyzes Türkiye’s evolving role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s nuclear deterrence posture, focusing on its participation in nuclear-sharing arrangements and exercises, such as Steadfast Noon (military exercise). As a member of the Alliance since 1952, Türkiye has played a geostrategically critical role by hosting the United States (US)’ tactical nuclear weapons at Incirlik Air Base and supporting NATO’s collective defence strategy. The study traces the historical trajectory of Türkiye’s nuclear involvement, from Cold War deployments to its current engagement with modernized B61 nuclear bombs and associated readiness activities. It examines the operational contours of Steadfast Noon and the Turkish Air Force’s contributions, particularly through its F-16 fleet. The analysis also addresses key challenges, including Türkiye’s exclusion from the F-35 program, complications in air force modernization, its geopolitical balancing between the US and Russia, and tensions between its commitments to non-proliferation and assertive strategic discourse. The findings show Türkiye’s continued importance to NATO’s southern nuclear posture while highlighting how Ankara’s pursuit of strategic autonomy introduces uncertainties that the Alliance must carefully navigate to maintain deterrence credibility and cohesion.

Semiconductors, Strategic Vulnerability, and Selective Decoupling

2025-12-31T10:04:01+00:00

In the contemporary era marked by technological breakthroughs, advanced semiconductors are widely recognized as the “currency of power,” with their control determining geopolitical leverage, national security, and digital supremacy. As the prime assets of modern economic and defence systems, command over high-end chips is redefining the power dynamics of the Twenty-first century. This study aims to investigate China’s unprecedented push for technological self-sufficiency amid perceived vulnerabilities associated with its dependency on foreign sources for microchips and the weaponization of semiconductor value chains by the United States (US). This study examines the national security imperatives that shape states’ behaviour in an anarchic system. Employing the qualitative case study approach, the study aims to investigate the significant ramifications of the US-China semiconductor rivalry for the stability of the global technopolitical and geopolitical order. Additionally, it aims to assess the policy approaches and national security priorities of China related to its techno-nationalist aspirations. The research findings reveal that the technological competition between the US and China is set to grow exponentially in transnational domains.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban after 2021

2025-12-31T10:09:12+00:00

Since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government have deteriorated despite earlier expectations of improved cooperation. Islamabad anticipated that a friendly regime in Kabul would help curb cross-border militancy and contribute to regional stability. Instead, persistent security challenges and militant violence have deepened mistrust. Pakistan’s border management and counterterrorism measures are perceived by the Taliban as coercive, while the Taliban’s continued support of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is viewed in Islamabad as a direct security threat. Beyond ideological affinity, the TTP also holds instrumental value for the Taliban in terms of internal cohesion and leverage, complicating efforts to address Pakistan’s concerns. Based on the above premise, this paper examines the evolving Pakistan–Taliban relationship between 2021 and 2025, and argues that the relationship is marked by a security dilemma between a sovereign state and a quasi-state authority. The paper further highlights how misperception, limited trust, and divergent understandings of security sustain this dynamic. The paper concludes by discussing policy-relevant implications for Pakistan and regional stability.

Science Diplomacy

2025-12-31T10:12:41+00:00

Science diplomacy is increasingly recognized as an effective tool for addressing global non-traditional challenges, promoting international collaboration, and enhancing national capacities in various sectors. It involves leveraging international scientific collaboration to address global issues, enhance foreign relations, and foster scientific partnerships for national benefits. Pakistan has enormous potential to benefit from science diplomacy. The research paper examines Pakistan’s existing science diplomacy-related initiatives at the bilateral and multilateral levels and also assesses key future areas of cooperation where science diplomacy can be utilized as a foreign policy tool to promote national development. By applying the theory of sustainable development, the study argues that Pakistan adheres to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to promote shared economic prosperity. This qualitative study focuses on how Pakistan can leverage scientific cooperation to foster innovation and contribute to global science diplomacy initiatives. The findings of the study suggest that regional and global collaboration on joint research projects, technology sharing, and strategic investments in science diplomacy initiatives could strengthen Pakistan’s image outwardly and growth inwardly.