Dawn Com

• The US and Israel have launched a war against Iran, resulting in an irreversible transformation of the strategic landscape across the Gulf region. • Analysts suggest that any potential diplomatic deal between the US and Iran must be decoupled from the broader Middle Eastern conflicts regarding Palestinian rights and land. • The conflict has created a distinct divide between the "pre-war" and "post-war" geopolitics of the Gulf, fundamentally altering regional power dynamics.

• Pakistan and India remain locked in a state of kinetic confrontation and technical warfare following India's "Operation Sindoor" launched in May 2025. • The ongoing conflict is exacerbated by a "nuclear overhang," creating a volatile environment where military tensions could escalate rapidly. • There is an urgent need for both nations to establish formal mechanisms to defuse tensions and transition from active conflict back to diplomatic dialogue.

• Author of the new book "Decolonising Disease: Pandemics, Public Health and Pathogenic Novels" explores the intersection of colonialism, imperialism, and epidemic disease. • The work draws critical parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and historical Ebola outbreaks, specifically those in Congo/Zaire and Sudan in 1976 and West Africa from 2014–16. • By centering transnational perspectives, the book aims to provide a meaningful intervention in how global health and medicine are understood through a colonial lens.