Aspirants around the country are preparing for the CSS exams, which are scheduled to be held on February 4, 2026. Just like every year, thousands of aspirants are planning to appear in the CSS 2026 exam. However, the unspecified syllabus of the CSS current affairs and English essay exams makes it difficult to cover all the topics, particularly for these two exams. The domain of the CSS current affairs exams is really vast, as no one could predict which international or national development will attract the examiner. However, there are numerous other factors due to which CSS aspirants suffer in the current affairs exams.
Reasons Why Aspirants Struggle in CSS Current Affairs
Although there are numerous reasons why CSS aspirants struggle in the current affairs exam, we will mention only a few here. One of the prime reasons why most of the CSS aspirants struggle in passing the CSS exams is their delay in studying current affairs topics. Most of the students rely on last-minute cramming for the subject before exams. Moreover, a large number of students rely on online and scattered notes rather than making their own current affairs notes. This leads to unauthentic and false information regarding current affairs topics most of the time, resulting in failure in the examination.
In addition, the lack of written practice and non-seriousness about the mock exams also leads to failure in the exam. Such an attitude makes the aspirants unable to create links between different subjects and papers. Moreover, this attitude makes them incapable of writing analytical answers in their exams. Therefore, all the aspirants need to practice consistently throughout their CSS journey. This practice could help them in completing their CSS papers within the given time.
List of Important Current Affairs Topics for CSS 2026
Many important global events occurred in 2025, which grabbed everyone’s attention. Most of these events revolved around the same old rivalry between the Western and Eastern blocs. However, the situation in the Middle Eastern region was also among the global headlines. Let’s discuss some of the important current affairs topics for CSS 2026.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most important topics for CSS 2026. However, aspirants need to cover different dimensions of the topic. Aspirants need to cover the role of regional and global powers and their interests in this conflict. Moreover, the role of the Middle Eastern proxy groups and guerrilla warfare in regional and international conflicts.
Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan
This topic is largely connected with the Israel-Palestine conflict. However, this topic demand an extra attention from the aspirants. CSS aspirants need to prepare different dimensions of this topic as well. They also need to analyze the role of the Muslim leaders and their potential impact on the lives of the Palestinian people. Moreover, the aspirants also need to study and analyze the potential outcomes of the International Stabilization Force established as a result of this peace plan.
Iran, the Middle East, and the United States
This topic is also connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict. However, Iran’s rivalry with the Western world has its own underlying reasons. Moreover, the Arab nations, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), are also hostile to Iran. Iran and the GCC rivalry also has a profound impact on the Israel-Palestine conflict and is one of the reasons behind the latter’s alliance with the United States. The aspirants also need to cover the recent US attack on Iran at the behest of the Israeli government.
The US-China Rivalry
The US-China Rivalry is one of the most discussed topics globally. China’s unprecedented rise on the global stage is abruptly shifting the global balance of power. The situation in the Indo-Pacific region and the South China Sea is escalating. Moreover, China’s stance on the Taiwan issue has also become harsh in recent months. CSS aspirants need to prepare for every possible aspect of this topic, especially the trade war between the two sides.
The US-EU Rift
Since Donald Trump’s assumption of the US presidential office as the 47th president of the country, relations between the two sides are getting bitter due to his stance on the EU. President Trump seeks equal economic participation of the EU in NATO. His stance on the Russia-Ukraine war also varies from that of the EU. The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy is also critical of the European Union and is largely seen as pro-Russia. The aspirants need to prepare for every aspect of this growing rift between the two sides.
Other Important Current Affairs Topics for CSS 2026
There is a long list of important current affairs topics that demand the attention of the CSS aspirants. All the aspirants need to prepare every dimension of these topics. It is difficult to discuss each topic and its different dimensions in detail. Therefore, a short list of some of these topics is mentioned below.
- Pakistan-India Rivalry
- Growing Anti-India Sentiment in Bangladesh
- Rising Youth-led Revolutions in South Asia and their potential impacts on Pakistan
- Expansion of BRICS and its de-dollarization campaign
- Trump’s role as a peacemaker
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Great Power competition in Africa
- CPEC 2.0
- 27th Amendment and its impact on future Pakistani politics
- Increasing role of middle powers in international politics
- Changing dynamics of warfare in the 21st century
- Climate Change (Its impacts on the Global South, COP 30)
- Role of AI in international politics
These are some of the important topics that are expected to be discussed in the CSS 2026 essay exam. However, aspirants must not rely on only these topics, as no one can predict the exact topics that the FPSC examiner could ask in the exam. Therefore, aspirants must do their research on important events of 2025 for the current affairs exams for CSS 2026.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Muhammad Hamza Tanvir is a political analyst specialising in South Asian and Middle Eastern affairs. His work focuses on religious nationalism, regional security, and minority rights. He has been featured in Stratheia, Pakistan Today, Pakistan Observer, and the Asian Mirror. He is also working as a research analyst and political commentator for Paradigm Shift and contributes to the monthly magazine of Nearpeer