About the author
Nisha Varman
Founding Editor, SilQRoute Times
Nisha Varman is the founding editor of SilQRoute Times, writing from Doha on the corridor that runs from the Gulf to South Asia and Southeast Asia. She covers sovereign wealth, the GCC, and the business of soft power.
SilQRoute Times is a Doha-based publication on the corridor that runs from the Gulf through South Asia to Southeast Asia. It follows sovereign wealth, the GCC, sport, and the business of soft power, with a reader who is busy and senior and prefers a clear sentence to a long one.
Nisha also runs Silk Route Consulting, an advisory practice for founders and family offices working the corridor, and writes longer-form pieces at thenishavarman.com.
Elsewhere
Selected editorial
Corridor dispatch
How Gulf Capital Became the Story of FIFA World Cup 2026
Aramco, PIF and Qatar Airways now sit at the top of the World Cup 2026 sponsor tier. The corridor in one tournament.
Long read
From Doha 2022 to Saudi 2034: What the Gulf is Building
Qatar set a template for hosting the FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia is set to scale it. The Gulf hosting playbook in 2026.
Analysis
Qiddiya, NEOM and the Stadium as Sovereign Wealth Asset
Why the Public Investment Fund put Qiddiya City and Savvy Games Group on FIFA World Cup 2026 boards.
Reading list
The Best Geopolitics Newsletters for 2026
Six geopolitics newsletters worth your inbox in 2026, reviewed from a Doha desk.
Explainer
What is the New Silk Road in 2026, a Plain English Guide
Belt and Road, IMEC, the Middle Corridor and the corridor economy explained without jargon.
Long read
Doha to Singapore: The Corridor Economy Explained
How capital, energy and software move along the modern Silk Road, and why the corridor is the story of the decade.
Reader's guide
GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds: A Reader's Guide to PIF, QIA, ADIA and Mubadala
Who they are, what they own, who runs them, and how to read their moves.
Media literacy
Geopolitics News Today: How to Read the Headlines Without Getting Played
A short field guide to sources, framing and the difference between analysis and noise.
Reading list
The Best Business Newsletters in the Middle East for 2026
The newsletters founders, operators and allocators in the Gulf actually open.
Reading list
A Gulf Founder's Morning Reading List: Doha, Riyadh and Dubai
An editor's roster of the business and geopolitics reads worth your morning in the Gulf.