Pakistan is facing a renewed and increasingly complex security challenge. Terrorist violence has intensified, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while relations with Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply. At the same time, deep political polarisation continues at home, as Pakistan becomes increasingly involved in a changing regional security architecture stretching from South Asia to the Gulf and wider Middle East.

In the Hadramawt region, Yemen's internationally recognised government is trying to consolidate its position while a constellation of militias can count on Riyadh's backing as it seeks to consolidate influence on the country's central institutions.

Against a backdrop of shifting geopolitics, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a grand connectivity project that could boost resilience and opportunities for Europe if the region can leverage financial and institutional tools to strengthen its role in the initiative.

While France, Italy, and Greece have played a leading role in advancing IMEC in the Mediterranean, the initiative appears to have generated far less interest in the region’s immediate neighbourhood. In the Balkans, IMEC remains relatively unknown, reflecting a combination of political and structural factors that have limited awareness and engagement.