As we all know that the education is the base of human. In the 21st century is totally unbelievable to image a person without education. In Afghanistan the new Taliban government banned the education on girls. Almost three week has passed since the Taliban reneged on its promise to reopen schools for girls from the sixth grade. The international community has sharply condemned the Taliban for the U-turn, and teenage girls have taken to the streets of the Afghan capital in protest, demanding a right to education. After the Taliban swept back to power last August, the group banned most girls aged 12 and above from attending school.

The Women Rights campaigners while expressing their views say that the ban on girl’s education will not only taking the Afghanistan into more economic crisis. Afghanistan is already going through serious humanitarian crisis and the world is helping them in different ways at multiple points. People of Afghanistan are facing huge food shortage and also the shortage of educated persons. According to UNICEF More than 1 million Children’s under the age of five are acutely malnourished. U.N. refugee agency said that more than 24 Million Afghans are in need of vital humanitarian aid they are living their lives below poverty line. The Taliban have banned women from most forms of paid employment, with the main exceptions being teaching girls and providing health care to women. Girls and their families have little incentive to make the major sacrifices often required for them to pursue and complete education when the career they dreamed of is off limits.

The Taliban’s reversal on schools, seen as a bid to appease hard-liners within its ranks, will likely disrupt its efforts to win recognition from international donors. Given the humanitarian crisis, the U.N. agreed to pay the salaries of school teachers though that did not seem to be enough to convince the Taliban to keep to its word. Afghanistan Ministry of Education published a notice and expressed their views on ban of girl’s education, the schools for girls would be closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture. Girls and boys will be educated according to the Islamic way nor the international way. This is alarming situation for the Afghans banning the education system will directly impact their economy. This is clearly showing the Taliban’s misogyny and demagoguery. It’s obvious that over the years that economic hardship, insecurity and conflicts decrease in areas that have higher levels of girls’ education. Of course, the Taliban will continue to negotiate, but they will face backlash. They have lost even more credibility and not taking the economic disaster seriously.

Earlier this year, in January 2022, ISIS initiated the biggest attack in Syria since the fall of it caliph three years ago. During the past few months, Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is the news headline of international media. After years of waging a low-level insurgency in Iraq and Syria, the current aggressive strikes indicate that militants have been re-energized. A years-long US-backed campaign destroyed the group’s territorial control in Iraq and Syria, but its fighters continued to kill scores of Iraqis and Syrians in recent months through sleeper cells. After Baghdadi’s death in 2019, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was elevated to the position of Islamic State’s (IS) “caliph”. The US military launched an airstrike on a residential building in a town in northern Syria in response to which the Islamic State’s leader perished. According to US sources, as a result of the raid, a senior deputy of the terror group has also been killed. Beyond the psychological impact, it is unclear whether the removal of the figurehead will make any effect, because a new leader has been selected already by the armed group. The US’s strike neither affected group’s network nor its activities, which is explicit from the ISIS attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since the Afghan Taliban Government in Afghanistan, various attacks have been reported including to which ISIS has claimed the responsibility. Over the past seven years, even before the current Taliban’s Government, the Islamic State (IS) has been targeting scores of schools, mosques, hospitals, and other sites of Shia community. It has a potential to create a conflict between Taliban Government and the people of Shia sect in Afghanistan. The striking increase in attacks in Afghanistan highlights the growing security challenge facing Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers as they have pledged to not let Afghanistan’s soil against any other country. To contrary, ISIS and militant groups while operating in Afghanistan expanding their activities to neighboring country like Pakistan, as the spate of attacks in country was claimed by the armed groups.

ISIS is widely spreading violence and extreme groups across the region. It has evolved into a global terrorist organization which will have implications around the globe. The group is a key security challenge not only for Iraq or Afghanistan but for the whole region’s security, stability and peace. The persistent presence of ISIS in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries including Africa proves that assassinating leaders is not a viable long-term approach for combating armed groups. ISIS’s leaders were killed in two US attacks in 2019 and 2021, but nothing was done to address the underlying conditions that allowed the organization once again to develop its influence and support. ISIS is still active and inflicting havoc around the globe. It is the time for political and military leaders at national and international level to play their due role. It is necessary to acknowledge that the only way to completely eliminate the group is pursuing long-term international peace and development policies rather than launching strategic military operations.

According to the United Nations, European Union has been a largest trading partner of the Africa. Not only EU but China is also enhancing its trade in this region as well. The new digital 2030 joint vision partnership between EU and African Union has recently been announced this year. This partnership is the different one and is done to boost the continent’s digital transformation. China’s trade is growing in Africa day by day, as it is already ahead in digital transformation of Africa. Many people in Africa are already using 3G and 4G networks which are being run by Chinese companies.

Since after the pandemic COVID 19, the importance of digital technologies is realized. It is now important for the survival of any state. Both, European Union and African Union jointly realized that the digital technologies, data and innovation leads towards the creation of opportunities of the jobs and sustainable development. Both sides established the EU-AU Digital Economy Task Force in December 2018, with the goal of developing clear policy proposals and proposing tangible steps to remove the main impediments to digital connectivity. The Task Force’s proposals have inspired the design of cooperation initiatives sponsored by the EU and its Member States, and are repeated in the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa 2020- 2030. EU aims to increase the internet usage in Africa from at least 33 percent to 60 percent.

There is a possibility that this is more of the political interest of the European Union, in order to counter the China’s economic influence in the region but this will positively affect Africa. It will support the digital rights of the African people. It will also create the technical support to improve provincial and global institutions’ capabilities to produce and implement digital transformation programs. It will also provide a platform for African and European stakeholders to share knowledge experiences, skills, and expertise. Dialogues amongst digital ecosystem actors, participatory policymaking alliances will be promoted. Inclusion, productivity, poverty reduction, and job creation can all benefit from digital technologies. Investing in proper rules and regulatory frameworks will allow citizen participation while safeguarding freedoms, rights, and security is necessary to ensure that everybody benefits. The European Union will support a human-centered digital transformation that will help to bridge the digital divide and accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals. Women, rural populations, and youths, in particular, will gain from the digital transformation if they cooperate together. A secure, long-term, and inclusive digitalization has the potential to help the economy recover and become more durable.

Russia had conducted a first test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new addition to its nuclear arsenal which President Vladimir Putin said would give Moscow’s enemies something to think about. The Sarmat has been under development for years and so its test-launch is not a surprise for the West, but it comes at a moment of extreme geopolitical tension due to Russia’s eight-week-old war in Ukraine. The new complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence. It has no analogues in the world and won’t have for a long time to come.

This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and provide food for thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country.” The Sarmat is a new heavy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile which Russia is expected to deploy with 10 or more warheads on each missile, according to the US Congressional Research Service. The Sarmat super heavy intercontinental ballistic missile is designed to elude anti-missile defence systems with a short initial boost phase, giving enemy surveillance systems a tiny window to track. Weighing more than 200 tonnes and able to transport multiple warheads, Putin says the missile can hit any target on Earth.

Sarmat is the most powerful missile with the longest range of destruction of targets in the world, which will significantly increase the combat power of our country’s strategic nuclear forces. A senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the launch was an important milestone after years of delays caused by funding issues and design challenges. He said more tests would be needed before Russia could actually deploy it in place of ageing SS-18 and SS-19 missiles. Sarmat’s ability to carry 10 or more warheads and decoys, and Russia’s option of firing it over either of the Earth’s poles, posed a challenge to ground and satellite-based radar and tracking systems. Editor in chief of Russia’s National Defence magazine, told RIA news agency it was a signal to the West that Moscow was capable of meting out “crushing retribution that will put an end to the history of any country that has encroached on the security of Russia and its people”. Ukraine has mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions to try to force Russia to withdraw forces Moscow says are on a special operation to degrade its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it calls dangerous nationalists.

The RS-28 Sarmat (NATO name Satan-II) is reported to be able to carry ten or more warheads and decoys and has the capability of firing over either of the earth’s poles with a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km. It is expected to pose a significant challenge to the ground-and-satellite-based radar tracking systems of the western powers, particularly the USA. The world is entering in a new arm race and it will badly effect the state to state relations.

As the Russian-Ukraine war continues, there are questions arising about NATO’s intervention in the conflict. If we look at the landscape, member states of NATO are bordered with Ukraine but officially it is not a member ally. Russia has one demand on the table that is non-negotiable which is Ukraine cannot be a part of the organization. However, Ukraine wants to join NATO as a member country and whenever it has floated the idea, internal strife erupt because of the presence of pro-Russian supporters in the Donbas region. Also, Russia has warned of political and military consequences as Putin did in the case of Finland and Sweden’s potential alliance membership. It is not the case that NATO is not intervening in the Ukrainian territory because of the country’s membership, there are some other reasons, as we have seen NATO involving in countries issues that are not its members.

Ukraine is seeking NATO’s help but the foreign ministers rejected any possibility of intervening against Russian forces in Ukraine, whether on the ground or in the air, as stated by Jens Stoltenberg the secretary general of NATO alliances. He has also said that “Allies are agreed upon the fact that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops operating in Ukrainian territory”. Ukrainian leaders have called for a no-fly zone above Ukraine’s airspace, but NATO is opposed to the idea, fearing that engagement may lead to a confrontation with Russia and might result in a full-fledged war in Europe which will involve many more countries and causing far more damages. Therefore, the stance of NATO is explicit that it will not intervene but will offer assistance while remaining neutral in the conflict.

On the other hand, President Joe Biden of the United States has stated repeatedly that the Western alliance will remain neutral in the war between the two countries as long as Russia does not strike NATO territory. Last month, a summit was held where member countries participated, the Russia-Ukraine issue was discussed in response to which new sanctions against Russia were issued but no military option was mentioned. A British officer has also warned that NATO is not prepared for a conflict with Russia. Since Russia’s invasion began, the Alliance countries have provided weaponry and financial aid to Ukraine, but they have been careful not to engage in any activities that could pull them into the conflict. The other justification for not intervening is that, US has faced the consequences because of war on terror in Afghanistan. It is not going to be popular politically for United States and European countries to enter Ukraine with the help of military forces.

It is clear that NATO is not planning to intervene and sending troops to Ukraine. But it needs strong advocacy and diplomacy and it is more likely that it will continue with weapons supplies, providing diplomatic as well as political support to Ukraine in the ongoing war.

Last year in August 2021, the United States in accordance with Afghan peace deal withdrew its forces from Afghanistan after 20 years. After which Taliban formed a new Government in Kabul. Pakistan has played an important role in making the deal possible as Pakistan has suffered hugely in form of terrorism due to war in Afghanistan. Pakistan has made rigorous efforts to combat terrorism from country through military operations which helped to down terrorist’s threats, improve security and achieve peace. Now, as Taliban walked back in Kabul and took control of Afghanistan once again, there is increasing concern of Pakistan’s Government over security in Afghanistan and its implications for Pakistan. The developing security situation in Afghanistan is becoming a point of central attention not only for Pakistan but for other regional states.

US intelligence and officials have suggested the presence of militant groups including Daesh in Kabul. Moreover, various reports including United Nations Security Council pointed out the active status of almost two dozen militant groups. This has posed a serious threat to region stability and particularly Pakistan’s security. Pakistan is needed to work in a specified way for threat across the border that is extended to its own territory. This is a worrisome situation regarding security as these groups might reorganize themselves against Pakistan and can bring a surge in terrorists and other activities as:

Sectarianism: Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) escalated insurgencies have already observed in Pakistan after Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. TTP and Daesh both have political and ideological interests, so, Daesh can create spillover effect in Pakistan in a way that TTP may collaborate or gain support of militant organization. Radicalization of Jihadist narrative, extremist ideas and narratives is possible to which young minds may fell prey. Besides this traditional challenges to internal security can also occur in kind of ethno-political, religious and sectarianism. The recent Peshawar suicide bombing inside a Shia mosque is an evidence of sectarian violence to which Daesh claimed the responsibility.

Cross-border infiltration: Cross-border illegal activities with the return of Daesh cannot be neglected. There is a possibility of illegal cross-border activities such as drug trafficking, exchange of illegal weapons between the non-state actors, and cross-border terrorism. Furthermore, refugee crisis can also be created with the return of Daesh in Afghanistan. Afghanistan may face security issues because of the Daesh and this will lead to the migration of Afghan population to Pakistan.

Indian-factor: Indian non-state actors can also use Daesh against Pakistan. Last year in 2021, Pakistan Army in a statement mentioned that with India’s support and RAW, the terrorist group Daesh is operating in Afghanistan against Pakistan. Also, Pakistan’s foreign Minister said that Pakistan has evidence of five Daesh training camps operating in India. This can result in grouping of Indians and Daesh against Pakistan for their vested interests.

To conclude: Afghan Taliban authorities must address security concerns of neighboring countries like Pakistan and do not let anyone use its soil for malicious purposes in order to ensure national interests of states and regional stability.

Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Houthis since 2015, when Saudi Arab intervened in Yemen’s civil war to fight the Houthis. The official media in Saudi Arabia reported rocket and drone strikes targeting an oil station in Jeddah and other sites in Riyadh, Yemen’s Houthis rebels have confessed to a series of attacks on the country in March, 2022. Houthi Military spokesman confirmed the attack and said that it was a response to the escalation of aggression in Yemen of Saudi’s coalition. This also increased tensions in the Persian Gulf, which were already strong due to a stalemate between the US and Iran. The major concerns remained unanswered though, such as, where the drones were launched from and how were the Houthis able to reach structures 500 miles from Yemeni land. Iran is being suspected for backing the Houthis and according to some reports, Iran made Cruise Missiles were used. Houthis have also rejected the talk’s proposal and this can escalate the conflict. This will also worsen the situation in Yemen since the population can face the consequences if Saudi Arabia attacks back at Yemen. People in Yemen are already dying from hunger and violence.

These attacks on the Saudi’s oil field will impact the world economy. As, the global oil prices are on fire. There are ongoing energy crisis because of the Ukraine-Russia war as well. So, the point here is that U.S could have availed the chance to have better relations with Arab, but it remained to stay away from this matter. U.S had already cut off the supplies of weapons to KSA for the war against Yemen. Saudi Arabia is looking forward to deal with Iran and Yemen itself. Bin Salman is also pushing for the direct engagements with Iran. This shows the decline in the influence of the superpower in one more region, Arab.

Re-building ties with U.S is one option for the Saudi’s to deal with Houthis. It also needs to boost up its defense system and rebuilding ties with U.S can help it from the shortage of its missiles and defense capabilities. On the other hand, close ties with U.S can also influence King Salman’s decision of direct engagements with Iran. If the Houthis violence continues against Saudi Arabia, this will badly affect the Saudi-Iran relations as there is this one perception that the Houthis are an Iranian proxy.

Earlier this month, on 9th March, Indian missile misadventure happened which was a clear violation of Pakistan’s air space. It is not for the first time that India did an airstrike attack on Pakistani soil. Before that, in 2016 and 2019, India launched surgical strikes in Azad Jammu Kashmir and Balakot. India admitted the landing of the missile and called it an accident which occurred due to a technical malfunction. In response to this, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the issue and warned India of unimaginable consequences. Also, the foreign minister urged India to give information regarding the specification, route and trajectory of the missile. Silence of India over the issue until Pakistan demanded an answer has been pointed out, adding that the aftermath of this scenario had all the potential to initiate a full-fledged nuclear war between the world’s two most volatile nuclear adversaries right now. According to ISPR’s statement, “Such dangerous incidents can act as a trigger and seriously endanger regional peace and strategic stability”. Therefore, Pakistan has asked for a “joint probe” and demanded clarification from India over the safety mechanism and security protocols of missile launches in a nuclearized environment.

It is reported by Bloomberg, that dozens of national and international flights indicated busy activity in Pakistani and Indian airspace on the same day, the jets narrowly missed through the direct trajectory of the missile. If the missile had hit a commercial plane, it would have resulted in unpleasant repercussions in view of endangering a populous area, lives and property damage. In this regard, Pakistan has approached international community and raised the issue with United Nations Secretary General. Pakistan has asked relevant international forums to address the situation by investigating the safety and security protocols of Indian nuclear assets, because implications of the particular event expand beyond the security of neighboring countries and the region. In a letter to UNSC President for March, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh (UAE) and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked that Pakistan strongly condemns this blatant violation of its airspace in the presence of international aviation safety regulations. Also, while addressing the two-day Islamabad Security Dialogue 2022, Army Chief has given remarks “We expect India to provide evidence to assure Pakistan and the world that their weapons are safe and secure. Unlike other incidents involving strategic weapons systems, this is the first time in history that a supersonic cruise missile from one nuclear-armed nation has landed in another”.

It is important to note that, this event will result in escalating the already tensed relations between India and Pakistan after Indian pilot case in 2019. Missile launch is an episode that had the potential to prove disastrous for both the countries. It must be dealt with seriousness that it deserves and proper investigation must be undertaken in order to avoid any similar incidents in future which could have catastrophic results. Fortunately, this time the issue was met with a cautious response from the Pakistani military, which avoided military confrontation between two countries.

Due to the history of colonial rule as well as internal factors in the Middle-East, it has always been an unstable region. The establishment of Israel, which many Arab countries saw as illegitimate and infringing on Palestinian rights, has been one of the most aggravating points in the Middle East. These grievances ignited major conflicts, such as the Arab-Israeli conflicts of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, as well as the emergence of a number of non-state violent actors who carried out terrorist attacks against Israel.

In the current times, the emergence of friendly relations between Israel and some Gulf Arab states is an important new dynamic in the Middle East. This dynamic has taken on a powerful strategic obligation for the Gulf side, in particular. A region that has been troubled by widespread turmoil and civil war is now shifting geopolitical links, and competition between rival coalitions in order to grow their areas of influence and accomplish goals in weak and fragmented states of the region. While, the insensitivity of the Israeli-Palestinian issue has long kept a formal relationship with Israel at away. The Palestinian national movement’s weakened ability to influence regional politics has allowed Gulf states more flexibility to emphasize their own national parochial interests over Arab ones.

The question arises here that will the friendly relations between the Arabs and Israel cause stability or instability in the Middle-East? Since the Israel’s independence, it has gained more diplomatic recognition than at any other period in the recent years. Netanyahu’s outreach in the Middle East aims to show that Israel can do deals with main Arab neighbors without even surrendering on their violations in Palestine. The connection has a risk attached to it. Backing for the Palestinian cause is one of the last remaining areas of agreement and unity among Arab states, which is an important element in a region that is not seen. The Arab Peace Initiative is also notable for bringing together the Arab world’s commitment to normalize relations with Israel by compromising the protection of the Palestinians. Even if it had failed to acquire support during the past couple of decades, abandoning Palestine is a serious mistake. The loss of cohesive support for the Palestinian people is also a sacred duty for the region and the humanity, as safeguarding their freedom and rights remains a moral duty for the Arab region and the world.

So, this is quite obvious that normalization of Arab relations will not bring peace in the Middle-East rather there is a risk of mobilization. Israel is openly doing violations in Palestine and Gaza knowing that Arab world will not condemn or speak against it because of their deals. Also there will be instability in a region because not all the countries in the Middle East are pro-Israel. Israel can indeed destabilize the region of Middle-East by building friendly relations with Arab.

Russian-Ukraine war is on headlines for weeks now, it has been creating, instability in all sector of life from Traditional security to non-traditional security of the world. Russia as strategic actor in international economics and politics, and its involvement in conflict is not working for many countries across the World because of their dependency on the mighty Bear (Russia). Most of the Europe depends on Russian Gas and Oil to fulfill their energy needs, Germany as alone import its 25% of energy from Russia. The conflict has caused an increase in energy prices as well as food prices. The United Nations is particularly concerned about one of the potential consequences of the conflict: the risk of famine. It has never seemed more important in some countries, and it may become more so in others. The dizzying rise in the price of agricultural and energy commodities could plunge 44 million people into famine. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the war in Ukraine may cause 8 to 13 million additional people to go hungry, primarily in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. However, hunger already affects one out of every ten people in the world, and one-third of the world’s population is food insecure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising energy prices.

Why there are too many things are on stake because of this conflict. Just look at the dependency “world” have on these states in term of Food security, Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of wheat, corn, rapeseed, barley, and sunflower, accounting for more than one-third of global grain exports. Russia is even the leading wheat exporter, with Ukraine ranking fifth. The two countries sell 70% of the sunflower oil produced. Wheat, on the other hand, is a staple food for 35% of the world’s population, and its price is skyrocketing. The increase is due to the blockage of exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The next harvest in Ukraine, scheduled for June/July, is not guaranteed to take place. Russia has threatened to halt all exports until June 30. Its Black Sea ports are open, but the sanctions have made trading difficult and caused the ruble to fall sharply, potentially raising prices still further. Another major reason for this increase is that Russia is the world’s largest exporter of gas and the world’s second largest exporter of oil, both of which have seen significant price increases as a result of the war. The gas is used to produce synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, of which Russia is the world’s largest exporter, supplying no less than 25 countries. Furthermore, the rise in the price of gas and oil has an impact on the operation of agricultural machinery, transportation, and product processing.