War, Dodged.

India and Pakistan just stopped short of going nuclear in a war triggered by generations of hate and distrust. This is a good time to assess where the two countries, and others, go from here.

Brutal. Total. Global.

I’ve been inconsistent with my writing since I started publishing. But I’ve always been onto something. My first byline was in 1996, for my school magazine in Karachi. That piece was on Pakistan’s development of nuclear weapons. None of the kids in school thought the story stood for much, except for the editor who published it, and the deputy principal who promoted me to editor. Two years later, Pakistan tested nuclear weapons. Since then, I’ve successfully forecasted trends in government, politics, and wars, mostly focused on South Asia, but also venturing into Central Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Starting from my first international dateline from Afghanistan in late 2001, written while I was a junior at Michigan — predicting that the Taliban had only melted away and will return to power — I’ve never published a story that’s bounced. Over two decades of reporting for NBC, CNN, The Times, Nikkei et al, I’ve notched a bestseller on cricket and an Emmy-nomination along the way — with datelines from 16 countries, but I obsess over my topical top three: Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

1. Why this, why now

I’ve been writing about conflict since I was a kid. The fact that I’m from Balochistan, home to Pakistan’s longest running insurgency, may have something to do with the obsession. Or maybe it’s the generational trauma of being from a family of Pathan immigrants who’ve fled conflict and poverty to run into more of the same. Conflict keeps following us around. This is how I’m dealing with it.

2. What kind of community am I looking to build here

I’m looking for critics. I have enough fans (you can join them on my YouTube channel: Youtube.com/wajahatskhan, or Insta @wajskhan, or X @wajskhan). But here, I’m looking for thoughtful pushback. I’m also looking for collaborators, whom I can co-author with. I love joint productions.

3. The Deal

I promise that I will try my best to be regular. I will start off with some free posts. But paid subscribers will get more risk-based assessments and sit-reps, focused on the security and investment climate of South Asia.

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Photo by Thiébaud Faix on Unsplash