The Islamabad opening: Translating the ceasefire into a process

Islamabad is ready to host something that, until recently, seemed almost unthinkable: direct, high-level talks between the United States and Iran. The city is under tight security, senior delegations from both sides have arrived, and regional representatives are also in town as Pakistan hosts what is being described as the highest-level US-Iran engagement since 1979. Regional partners have already signalled support for Pakistan’s diplomatic role, and that matters. This is not a meeting that emerged out of nowhere. It is the visible culmination of a broader process in which Islamabad steadily positioned itself as a venue, a facilitator, and, above all, a state willing to create diplomatic space when the region was sliding toward wider war.  That wider process deserves […]