AI: Social Disruptor or National Security Risk? How Will Countries Respond
There is a darker side to AI, it is now seen. Firms have established that AI can manipulate, blackmail and threaten. Findings by Anthropic have revealed that advanced AI systems can resort to blackmailing and threatening human users to achieve assigned goals or ensure their survival. As AI writes better versions of itself and big business powers it to seek new frontiers to occupy, will India re-skill and re-arm to keep its independence or run the risk of becoming a digitised colony?
Islamic State Bengal’s Resurgence: The re-emergence of an ISIS-linked Militant Architecture in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has previously demonstrated its ability to decisively dismantle militant infrastructures. The question now is whether that momentum can be sustained amid shifting political and regional dynamics. If left unchecked, Islamic State Bengal’s evolving model - family cells, criminal financing, cross-border sanctuaries, and technical bomb-making sophistication - could reintroduce a phase of asymmetric violence not only within Bangladesh but across parts of South Asia.
A Line Crossed: The Killing of Ayatollah Khamenei Has Dangerous Consequences for Volatile Region
The killing of Ayatollah Ai Khamenei is not an isolated headline; it is a defining chapter in the evolving story of Middle Eastern and regional geopolitics. It forces a reckoning with questions of power, legality, and consequence. Whether this moment becomes the spark of broader conflict or a catalyst for renewed diplomatic urgency will depend on decisions made now, in Tehran, in Jerusalem, in Washington, and beyond. One era has undeniably ended. What begins next will shape the region for years to come.
Iran’s State Structure is Designed to Outlast its Leaders: Expectations of Sudden Collapse may be Misguided
Iran’s constitution explicitly anticipates such scenarios. Article 111 provides that if the supreme leader dies or becomes incapacitated, authority transfers immediately to an interim council consisting of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a cleric chosen through the Expediency Council. The aim is continuity, not transformation. While qualifications for the next leader are specified, the constitution leaves room for interpretation rather than imposing a rigid religious pathway.
