The Indus Waters Treaty: South Asia’s most durable accord faces a tough test

Written by Farwa Aamer

India’s position as a global leader on climate adaptation and sustainable development, especially as the voice of the global south, could be undermined by any perception of using water coercively.

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The European Union needs a more pragmatic foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Angelo M’BA

Perhaps counter-intuitively, only an approach less concerned with morals and more with pragmatic engagement can pave the way for the EU to spread its values in the Indo-Pacific. 

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Trump’s Pakistan deal risks neglecting the plight of Imran Khan

Written by Marcus Andreopoulos

While dealing with the military-backed government may assist Trump in reaching short-term agreements, constant disorder and popular uprisings will make it impossible for the benefits of such agreements to ever be felt.

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Discover the August issue of The Navigator – out now

This month, we spotlight India’s partnership with the Philippines, demonstrating sovereignty-sensitive maritime cooperation, while New Zealand’s expanding role in space highlights how smaller states assert strategic influence in high-tech domains.

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Drawing a new India-Philippines arc of maritime convergence

Written by Eerishika Pankaj and Rahul Karan Reddy

The concern Beijing has with an India-Philippines strategic partnership lies in its signalling of the rise of layered, maritime-centric, military cooperation emerging in China’s periphery — designed to reinforce a rules-based order and deter unilateral changes to the status quo in the global commons.

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China's dominance in Myanmar's rare earth resources: A growing risk for global supply chains

Written by Ophelia Yumlembam

Given the Quad’s and the EU’s ongoing efforts to build resilient and diversified critical mineral supply chains, a more proactive and coordinated approach with other like-minded global actors is urgently needed — before China further consolidates its dominance over Myanmar’s REE resources and, by extension, the global REE supply chain.

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From Momentum to architecture: Making trilateralism work for Korea, Japan, and the United States

Written by Yun Kyung Kim

Korea and Japan now have an opportunity to redefine their roles — not as competing spokes but as co-architects of a trilateral framework that can anchor stability in the Indo-Pacific. For Washington, embracing this shift means sharing agenda-setting space with allies to maximise American interests and maintain primacy.

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The fight for the future of global digital payments

Written by Andrew Gordan

Global digital finance will also increasingly become entangled with broader structures of major power competition, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Anxiety about Chinese economic influence in Oceania has likely driven India to pitch the Pacific Islands on digital infrastructure, inking an agreement on DPI with Fiji in November 2024.

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Ratifying the Indonesia-Vietnam EEZ maritime delimitation agreement serves national and regional best interests

Written by Aristyo Rizka Darmawan and John Bradford

Ratification of the EEZ agreement provides a good opportunity for Indonesia to clarify its position by denying the validity of China’s Nine-Dash Line claim while simultaneously preserving its interests and advancing good relations with an important neighbour.

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Japan and Cambodia: Partners in a diplomatic balancing act

Written by Shin Kawashima

Japan and other US allies must strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries to address US retrenchment, positioning themselves as credible alternatives for countries seeking to avoid over-reliance on China.

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Discover the July issue of The Navigator – out now

This month, we spotlight Taiwan’s sweeping drone procurement drive — a decisive shift in defence strategy that underscores its push for self-reliance and asymmetric deterrence. We also track shifting regional dynamics, from landmark defence exercises in Australia and a new AUKUS treaty, to South Asia’s turbulent politics, Southeast Asia’s evolving alignments, and Europe’s role in the Indo-Pacific.

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A missing link: Taiwan’s drone innovation needs Europe’s support

Written by Thijs Stegeman

For Europe to help Taiwan significantly scale its drone production capacity, and to de-risk its own drone supply chains, the EU should make Taiwan a partner in the Readiness 2030 initiative.

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Building bridges: EU–Taiwan–ASEAN connectivity for a multipolar world

Written by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Julia Gurol-Haller

Together, the EU, Taiwan, and ASEAN can redefine connectivity not as a geopolitical tool for influence, but as a platform for empowerment, resilience, and strategic autonomy in the Global South.

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Diplomacy in an age of disruption: The EU-China summit

Written by Gunnar Wiegand

While major breakthroughs are unlikely, progress on economic issues is possible and could help restore a measure of stability and predictability for companies and citizens on both sides.

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Southeast Asia’s shifting geopolitics: A challenge for India’s Act East policy

Written by Dr Apila Sangtam

Crucially, reinvigorating key connectivity initiatives such as the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway would serve as both a symbolic and practical demonstration of India’s commitment to regional integration.

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In Brief with Mu Sochua, President of the Khmer Movement for Democracy

Drawing on her decades of experience in Cambodia’s pro-democracy movement, we discussed the country’s democratic decline, the growing influence of China, and the crucial role the international community — and Cambodia’s youth — must play in shaping a freer future.

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New episode - James Crabtree on how events in the Middle East are (re)shaping Europe and Indo-Pacific relations

This month, Zsuzsa and Richard are joined by James Crabtree. Together they examine how recent developments in the Middle East are (re)shaping Europe's relationship with Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region. They also explore how key Asian powers are responding to perceptions of Europe's shifting role on the global stage.

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