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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 “Syria: Liberating Idlib”

After successful offensives to retake Daraa and Quneitra provinces in August 2018, the Syrian Government announced that its main concern was now to “liberate”...

Report – In-House Meeting with “UAE Media Delegation”

The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted an In-House meeting with a 3-member Media Delegation from UAE on September 4, 2018. Members of...

Issue Brief on “Saudi Salwa Canal Project”

“Starting the Salwa Canal. Congratulations to the Saudi people for this wonderful project that will transform the small terrorist state of Qatar into...

Issue Brief on “Yemen-UAE: Sparring Over Socotra”

Yemen is immersed in yet another conflict – this time centered around the island of Socotra. The most recent power struggle is in between...

Issue Brief on “Iran Versus Israel: The Shadow War in Syria”

What started out as the Syrian civil war has fast become the Syrian war and the Tiyas Military Airbase or T-4 as it's known...

Issue Brief on “The Escalating Crisis in Syria”

On April 14, in a move likely to only contribute to an already volatile situation, the United States and its British and French allies...

Inside the Middle East: Making Sense of the Most Dangerous and Complicated Region on...

The Middle East is a region of geopolitical intricacies which has perplexed western foreign policy makers for decades. In his book, Inside the Middle...

Issue Brief on “Explicit Overtures: The Changing Face of Saudi-Israel Relations”

During an all-encompassing interview during his current United States tour in March 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman foretold his vision for the...

Issue Brief on “Munich Security Conference 2018: Middle East Perspectives”

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) took place from February 15-18, 2018. The conference came amidst a complex global security environment, manifest in deteriorating developments...

Issue Brief on “Yemen: A War Within a War”

At the end of January 2018, the self-purported Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen demanded that Hadi dissolve his government over assertions of corruption...