Zahra Niazi

Research Associate

 

Zahra Niazi

Professional Experience

Zahra Niazi is a Research Associate at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, Pakistan. Her research interests span Sustainable Development, Peace and Development, and Development Economics. She has contributed to high-impact journals, including in the Environment, Development and Sustainability. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies, with a specialisation in Peace, Conflict, and Development, from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan.

Publications

How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare

The ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has brought several critical questions to the fore: What lies at the root of the grievances that triggered a protest movement in Iran earlier this year, exploited by the US and Israel? How widespread are the sentiments of resentment towards the regime among the Iranian population? How did Iranian society not collapse, and what prevented the sanctions from incapacitating the Iranian economy, thereby preserving Tehran’s ability to resist today?
How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare effectively answers these questions from different angles. It is written

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How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare

The ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has brought several critical questions to the fore: What lies at the root of the grievances that triggered a protest movement in Iran earlier this year, exploited by the US and Israel? How widespread are the sentiments of resentment towards the regime among the Iranian population? How did Iranian society not collapse, and what prevented the sanctions from incapacitating the Iranian economy, thereby preserving Tehran’s ability to resist today?
How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare effectively answers these questions from different angles. It is written by Narges Bajoghli – an anthropologist with expertise in media, power, and military dynamics, Vali Nasr – a political scientist

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On BJP’s Foundation Day: How India Drifted from Its Founding Ideals

India projects itself as one of the most vibrant democracies in the world, but its rankings in global risk indices present a fundamentally different picture. Notably, in 2025, India ranked fourth among 168 countries at risk of future mass killings of civilians, behind Myanmar, Chad, and Sudan.
One is compelled to ask: How did a country, founded on the Gandhian principles of non-violence and the welfare of all, lose its moral direction? And how, if at all, can these ideals be rebuilt?
6 April, the foundation day of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), offers

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The Incredible and Shining India! Transition from Secularism to Hindutva Extremism

Danish Javeed’s book The Incredible and Shining India! Transition from Secularism to Hindutva Extremism uncovers the gruesome realities that lie beneath India’s projected image as a prosperous nation. It serves as a powerful reminder that human rights atrocities must continue to be documented even long after they have occurred, as the sooner they are forgotten, the greater the risk that they will be normalised.

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