Strategic Analysis Group

What happens when the world’s leading superpower abandons global rules for raw, transactional business deals?

In this comprehensive AI-generated explainer (powered by NotebookLM), we break down the brilliant, hard-hitting geopolitical essay by scholar and analyst Muhammad Bilal Iftikhar Khan: "The Good, the Bad, and the Mercantilist: Inside Trump’s Transactional Pax Americana."

We explore how Washington is shifting from a "rules-based order" to a hyper-mercantilist "Donroe Doctrine." This deep dive uncovers the structural anxiety driving U.S. foreign policy as it confronts the Thucydides Trap with China. Even though the two superpowers share a $600 billion economic tether, Washington is actively working to choke off Beijing's energy lifelines—from the ouster of Maduro in Venezuela to aggressive secondary sanctions on Iranian crude.

Explainer :The Good, the Bad, and the Mercantilist: Inside Trump’s Transactional Pax Americana What happens when the world’s leading superpower abandons global rules for raw, transactional busines...

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The Good, the Bad, and the Mercantilist: Inside Trump’s Transactional Pax Americana by Muhammad Bilal Iftikhar Khan Donald Trump’s second term increasingly mirrors the erratic, deeply pragmatic persona of Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez, famously played by Eli Wallach in the Western classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He fiercely competes with China and harbors ...

They wrote a false flag in the sky. Our lions wrote back in fire. 🔥

This is "The Shield of Silence: Operation Banyan un Marsoos" — a powerful poem by Muhammad Bilal Iftikhar, dedicated to the fearless defenders of Pakistan.

From Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Sidhu’s multi-domain strike to Admiral Ashraf’s silent depths and Field Marshal Asim Munir’s faith-led resolve — this piece honors the unity, strength, and truth of Pakistan’s armed forces.

🎖️ For every soldier, sailor, and airman who stands guard while we sleep — this is your tribute.

🎧 Listen. Feel. Share with pride.

Pakistan Zindabad. 🇵🇰

The Shield of Silence: Operation Banyan un Marsoos They wrote a false flag in the sky. Our lions wrot...

The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most vital energy artery, carrying approximately 20-25% of global seaborne oil and 20% of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Is it a Trap for China?
The theory that this is a strategic "trap" to leverage China has significant weight for several reasons:

Energy Dependency: You are correct that China is the primary victim of this disruption. Roughly one-third of China's oil transits this Strait. Unlike the U.S., which is now a net energy exporter, China’s industrial engine is uniquely vulnerable to a Hormuz shutdown.

The "All or None" Strategy: Trump explicitly stated, "We're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people they like... It’s going to be all or none." By blockading the Strait, the U.S. effectively forces China to choose: either pressure Tehran to accept U.S. terms (to restore oil flow) or face a domestic energy crisis.

Trump’s ‘China Trap’? The High-Stakes Blockade of Hormuz Strait o...

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آج کے دور میں جنگیں سرحدوں پر نہیں، بلکہ انسانی ذہنوں میں لڑی جا رہی ہیں۔ اسے ہم 'انفارمیشن وارفیئر' کہتے ہیں۔ جہاں سچ وہ نہیں جو حقیقت ہے، بلکہ سچ وہ ہے جسے طاقتور میڈیا اور ریاستیں تخلیق کرتی ہیں۔
عام طور پر لوگ 'کنٹینٹ اینالیسس' کرتے ہیں, یعنی کتنی بار ایک لفظ استعمال ہوا۔ لیکن یہ طریقہ ادھورا ہے۔ ہمیں 'ڈسکورس اینالیسس' کی ضرورت ہے۔ کیوں؟ کیونکہ جیسا کہ مائیکل فوکو (Michel Foucault) نے کہا تھا:

"Power is not only a thing but a relation... Knowledge is linked to power."
(طاقت صرف ایک شے نہیں بلکہ ایک تعلق ہے... علم ہمیشہ طاقت کے ساتھ جڑا ہوتا ہے۔)

حقیقت کی تلاش — انفارمیشن وار فیئر اور ڈسکورس اینالیسس , , , , , ,آج کے دور میں جنگیں سرحدوں پر ن...

Pakistan gained political independence in 1947, yet true intellectual independence remains unrealized. In this video, I discuss how colonial ways of thinking, language hierarchies, and knowledge systems continue to shape our education, identity, and consciousness. I reflect on the decline of Pakistan Studies and Islamiat, the subconscious superiority attached to English, and the emerging threat of AI as a new form of digital coloniality. Trained on Western epistemologies, AI tools risk further alienating our youth from their own history and civilizational roots. This is a call to rethink education, reclaim epistemic sovereignty, and confront the invisible forms of modern colonialism.

Independence Without Decoloniality: The New Battle for Pakistan’s Intellectual Soul ...