In Brief: Assistant Editors at 9DASHLINE
2 September 2026
As 9DASHLINE continues to expand its coverage across the Indo-Pacific, our editorial team recently welcomed three Assistant Editors — Luana Correia, Akash Nayak, and Elizabeth Cherchia. Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Yatana Yamahata, spoke with them to discuss their interests, the trends currently shaping the Indo-Pacific, and what distinguishes a strong piece of analysis.
YY: Tell us a bit about yourself — how did your interest in the Indo-Pacific develop, and what brought you to our work at 9DASHLINE.
LC: Although my studies in public policy focused mainly on Europe, we often ventured into other regions as well — and the Indo-Pacific was particularly interesting to me. That curiosity led me to independent research projects, through which I explored regional questions of demographic transitions, crisis management, and welfare policy. I came across 9DASHLINE in the final year of my studies and was drawn by its focus beyond the Indo-Pacific’s boundaries, looking also at the region’s evolving relationship with Europe. I figured that a position at 9DASHLINE would combine my Europe-centred background with my growing interest in the Indo-Pacific.
AN: My interest in the Indo-Pacific stems from my personal relationship with the region. My family is originally from India, and though I grew up in the United States, I’ve been surrounded by South Asian culture for my entire life. My studies followed this interest beyond South Asia into the broader Indo-Pacific. I took courses and conducted research projects delving deeper into Chinese foreign assistance, Indo-Pacific security, and cultural diplomacy. When I came across the 9DASHLINE position, I figured it would be an incredible opportunity to enhance my understanding of the region while contributing to a meaningful educational platform whose work I already valued.
EC: I came to the Indo-Pacific by a long and circuitous road. After studying abroad in China, I began my career in international development in the Caribbean, where I spent five years building healthcare and other infrastructure. Through this work, I began to confront questions central to international development: why do some countries stay poor while others escape poverty? That led me to pursue graduate studies in international relations in China and the US, where I researched China’s development and its international development industry. Learning Mandarin led me to Taiwan, where I had the opportunity to study modern Chinese history and research topics related to Taiwanese identity. Now, I am researching Taiwan’s offshore wind industry as a form of economic statecraft. After using 9DASHLINE as an invaluable resource in my own research on Laos and China, it was really exciting for me to have the opportunity to work with such an accomplished and thoughtful team to further develop my own opinions and explore my research interests.
YY: What is an “underreported” trend or “underrepresented” perspective in the region that you think deserves more coverage than it currently gets?
AN: I believe more attention should go to the growing role of the South Asian diaspora communities in shaping diplomacy and soft power, particularly in the US, UK, and the Gulf states. Much of the coverage on Indo-Pacific strategy focuses on state-to-state relations, but diaspora networks are increasingly influencing policy debates, business ties, and cultural exchange. There's a lot more to explore here, especially as these communities continue to grow and become more politically organised.
EC: I’m biased, because my background is in energy and infrastructure, but I think the ways that China is quietly attempting to re-orient the region around itself through all kinds of connectivity, from transport infrastructure to standards-setting to cultural soft power, is understudied and under appreciated. As the US becomes an increasingly unreliable economic and security partner through cuts in aid, tariffs, and distancing from longtime international partners, there’s much more to understand about how China and Southeast Asia are navigating their relationships.
LC: A general trend I think deserves more attention is the extent to which many Indo-Pacific communities are active players in climate change prevention and adaptation, rather than dependents on foreign support to manage these challenges. While it’s true that significant foreign aid and financing is provided to climate-vulnerable communities, I find that this receives outsized attention compared to region-led initiatives. For example, the Pacific Resilience Facility established last year is a community-centred, Pacific-led financing vehicle for climate and disaster resilience. This and multiple other local initiatives tackling local climate issues deserve more in-depth coverage as they grow in scope and impact.
YY: The Indo-Pacific generates no shortage of commentary. As assistant editors reading through pieces at all stages of the editorial process, what makes one jump out, and what do the strongest tend to share?
LC: A commonality in the pieces I find most enjoyable to work on is their ability to make a case for uncommon or even contested perspectives. An example would be a piece re-interpreting widely-used data in a way that contradicts common narratives. While I don’t always fully agree with these positions, these are the articles I think about the most, since they push me to reconsider and possibly reposition myself. This doesn’t mean that every article with an original perspective is also a strong one. Without much existing literature to build upon, it can be very difficult to write compelling articles. That’s why I admire the confidence, and above all the ability, to build a strong case around an original position.
AN: Related to that, a feature that many of the strongest pieces share is a focus on the "so what?" of their chosen topic — not just describing an event or policy shift, but explaining why it matters and to whom. For instance, an article on a new infrastructure agreement shouldn't stop at outlining the terms of the deal; the strongest pieces go further to explore what it signals about a country's strategic alignment, how it might shift regional power dynamics, or what precedent it sets for similar agreements elsewhere. Without that connective thread, even well-researched pieces can feel like they're missing a key takeaway.
EC: It brings me a lot of joy to help authors find an uncommon or unexpected thread in their argument and pull it more to the forefront. In the rough draft stage, many pieces start off in safe waters, summarizing a topic and going over existing arguments, and the most interesting idea is often hiding out as an aside. The strongest pieces weave in something unexpected from the beginning, and I love helping authors figure out what that is and orienting the article around it.
YY: Part of your role is staying on top of developments in the region. What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now that’s shaping how you think about the region?
EC: Recently, I have been learning how to use Threads (mostly ignored in the rest of the world but used widely in Taiwan) to understand developments in Taiwan and Taiwanese people’s reactions to regional developments. Threads has the feeling of a crowded, chaotic village, where people are helping one another find lost wallets, searching for apartments, and arguing about politics. I began using the platform during the 2025 Great Recall Movement, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to remove allegedly Pro-China legislators from office. Depending on whose opinion I read, the movement was either a grassroots attempt to strengthen Taiwan’s democracy or a plot by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to seize power. Using the platform didn’t give me a clear or easy sense for what was true, but rather helped me understand the emotions underpinning the movement: frustration with political gridlock, fear of Chinese influence, and drive to move in a new direction.
LC: I recently read Ha-Joon Chang’s “23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism” for the first time, which has been shaping how I read economic policy in the Indo-Pacific. He highlights international examples to de-bunk common misconceptions about capitalism and how it has shaped the current world order. Drawing on regional examples including South Korea and Singapore, he argues that their growth “miracles” weren’t free-market successes as is often claimed; they were largely built on state ownership and protectionism. This has changed the way I assess narratives about which Indo-Pacific economies are "open" versus "state-driven" since the line is much blurrier than commonly suggested.
AN: That sounds interesting. I’ve really been enjoying “The China-Global South Podcast”, which has shaped how I think about China's engagement beyond just its immediate Indo-Pacific neighbours. Its focus on China's relationships across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia has made me reconsider how expansive these engagements really are, showcasing topics from space collaboration with Middle Eastern countries to debt restructuring in Africa. It's given me a more comparative lens for thinking about Chinese foreign engagement, rather than treating the Indo-Pacific as a self-contained case study. I've also appreciated how the podcast brings in local voices and reporting from the countries involved, rather than relying solely on Beijing-centric or Western framings, which has pushed me to be more careful about whose perspective is shaping the narratives I read.
EC: On podcasts, a friend also recently recommended the aptly-named Indo-Pacific security podcast “Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?” and I think it’s a fantastic resource for understanding developments and trends in the region — admittedly with an American bias. When in comes to podcasts in Mandarin, I am forever a fan of Bumingbai Boke (不明白播客), hosted by New York Times columnist Li Yuan, for understanding current affairs in China.
YY: Last but not least, if you could live and work anywhere in the Indo-Pacific for a year, where would you go — and what issues would you spend time covering?
AN: I would probably choose South Korea, since it would allow me to engage more deeply with the perspective of a middle power navigating an increasingly complex regional order. I’d like to explore how Seoul balances its alliance with the US against its economic and geographic proximity to China, particularly on issues like semiconductor supply chains and regional security. I’d also be interested in covering South Korea's expanding role in cultural diplomacy (given the global reach of its soft power through entertainment and technology) and how that influence is shaping its broader foreign policy ambitions across the Indo-Pacific.
LC: For me, probably Indonesia, since it would allow me to engage with multiple questions that interest me most: climate adaptation, demographic change, development, and governance. I would like to cover how communities and policymakers are responding to environmental pressures while also navigating rapid urbanisation, an ageing population in some regions, and persistent inequalities. I’d also be interested in exploring questions of social justice, for example how the costs and benefits of economic transition are distributed across such a large and diverse country. I think living there for a year would provide intersectional insights that are difficult to gain from afar.
EC: I’m going to cheat on this one, because it’s too hard to choose just one country! I live in Taiwan, but if I could move elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific for a year, I would choose to cycle around China and mainland Southeast Asia. I’m incredibly interested in connectivity and infrastructure, and I’d love to experience the movement of people, goods, and ideas in an incredibly granular way. There are things that are impossible to understand from afar, and even from here in Taiwan I am cut off from realities and trends on the ground in China. I did a research project in Laos last year, and I was shocked by how different the reality on the ground was from what I had envisioned. We often talk about China’s outsized influence on this tiny country, but the reality is far more nuanced and complex than what my research from afar implied.