From the Korean Peninsula to the South Asian Flashpoint and Beyond As of mid-2026, the global nuclear landscape is defined by a perilous paradox. While international non-proliferation frameworks strive to contain the spread of atomic weapons, the strategic behavior of established nuclear powers has inadvertently validated the security anxieties of non-nuclear states, triggering a cascading Read more
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by Ahmed E. Souaiaia, Ph.D., University of Iowa Introduction We often speak of scientific discovery as if it were a series of sudden breakthroughs, authored by solitary minds in moments of inspiration. The story of human understanding, however, is neither sudden nor solitary. It is a slow, cumulative conversation across millennia—a relay in which each Read more
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Introduction Recent commentary in policy and journalistic circles, typified by essays such as The New York Times piece titled “America Is Officially an Empire in Decline,” interprets the contemporary geopolitical moment through the lens of strategic errors, imperial overreach, and episodic miscalculation. Within this framing, hypothetical or proximate conflicts, including discursive references to the 2026 Read more
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Why Land Routes Build Empires Trace the yellow line from Xi’an to Tehran, and you are not merely looking at a modern infrastructure project—you are witnessing the resurrection of an ancient truth that shaped civilizations for two millennia. Throughout history, the great cities of the Silk Road did not rise because of what lay beneath Read more
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The Pulpit and the Pen The intersection of religious scholarship and anti-colonial resistance constitutes one of the most understudied yet structurally vital dimensions of twentieth-century liberation movements. In the Maghreb, where French colonial policy systematically dismantled indigenous educational, judicial, and linguistic institutions, Islamic scholars emerged not merely as custodians of doctrine but as architects of Read more
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In the frantic coverage of breaking news from the Middle East, Western media often focuses on the visible: missile trajectories, diplomatic statements, and strategic calculations. When reports emerged that Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir would meet Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran—reportedly carrying a message from American officials—the headlines centered on geopolitical maneuvering. What Read more
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By Ahmed E. Souaiaia, PhD* “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” These words, posted by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social, were more than a threat—which they were directed against Iran which he attacked without congressional authorization or Read more
Continue ReadingWhen Outsiders Hold the Keys to SWANA Security In a moment that laid bare a profound regional contradiction, Egypt’s president recently addressed a foreign leader, Trump, who attacked Iran, triggering retaliation and economic crisis, with a plea that echoed far beyond Cairo: “Only you can stop the war in our region.” The statement was not Read more
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently offered the world a stark proposition: “Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan.” Quoting historian Will Durant, he argued that in a dangerous world, morality without power is futile—that to defeat evil, one must be willing to match its ruthlessness. It is a compelling soundbite for an age Read more
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By Ahmed E. Souaiaia, PhD The prevailing narrative from the Trump administration—that the surge in energy prices following U.S. and Israeli military attack on Iran is merely a “temporary” anomaly—fails to account for the fundamental laws of complex systems. By viewing the conflict through a linear lens (Action → Reaction → Resolution), policymakers have overlooked Read more
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