Strategic Perspectives Through Research and Dialogue
Home Authors Posts by Arhama Siddiqa

Arhama Siddiqa


Research Fellow

Areas of Research:

Iranian foreign policy, GCC politics, and wider Middle East geopolitics

Ms Arhama Siddiqa is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and a PhD candidate in International Relations at Quaid-e-Azam University. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Political Science & Economics from LUMS (2013), an MA in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick (2014), and an MPhil in International Relations from QAU (2023).

Her research focuses on geopolitics, regional security, and international political economy, with publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributions to leading outlets such as The Express Tribune, South Asian Voices, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, and the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. She has presented papers at major international forums, including the Gulf Research Meeting at Cambridge University (2024) and the Gulf Studies Symposium at Georgetown University (2025).

In addition to her research, she has editorial experience with volumes on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s strategic frontiers, and Middle Eastern affairs. She is also a Commonwealth Professional Fellow (2017) and an active participant in global policy dialogues, including the Tehran Dialogue Forum and Doha Forum.

 

Mail arhama.siddiqa@issi.org.pk

Issue Brief on “Mike Pence’s Trip to the Middle East: Cementing Alliances”

On 20 January, US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Egypt to start a four-day Middle East tour. The trip had initially been scheduled...

Issue Brief on “Netanyahu’s India Visit: Coming Out of the Closet”

Calling his trip to India as "very emotional and deeply satisfying", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted as he bid his week-long trip to...

Issue Brief on “Trump’s Jerusalem Decision: A Reckless Move”

“Today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is...

Report- Public Talk on “Formation of National Unity Government and Future of Peace in...

The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) held a Public Talk on the “Formation of the National Unity Government and Future of Peace in...

Issue Brief on “Inauguration of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council and Rex Tillerson’s Middle East...

“What links Saudi Arabia to Iraq is not just geography and common interests, but ties of fraternity, blood, history and destiny”. This was stated...

Issue Brief on “Hamas-Fatah Reconciliation Deal 2017: Raising Hopes”

The rival Palestinian political parties, Hamas and Fatah,  signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo on October 12, 2017 as part of an effort to...

CPEC: Prospects of OBOR and South-South Cooperation

Abstract South-South Cooperation (SSC) has been a recurring theme in the global discourse but it neither resulted in self-reliance of the South nor it could...

Issue Brief on “King’s Salman’s Visit to Moscow: A New Rapprochement in the Making”

A bit of history was made this week, when King Salman arrived in Moscow on a four-day visit from October 4-7, 2017. This was...

Issue Brief on “Turkey-Russia Defence Cooperation: The S-400 Deal Ordeal”

“They’ve gone crazy just because we made a deal on the S-400. What were we supposed to do, wait for you forever?” This was...

Report – In-house meeting with Iranian Media Delegation

A 5-member Iranian Media Delegation visited the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) for an informal discussion on recent developments affecting the Iran-Pakistan relationship. Members...