Written by Dr Filippo Boni
Pakistan is scheduled to hold its twelfth general election on 8 February, amid a deteriorating security situation in parts of the country, allegations of an uneven playing field against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, and with China and the United States waiting to find out who will lead the next Pakistani government.
Read MoreWritten by Eve Register
It will be important for BIMSTEC to learn from the mistakes of the BRI if it is to work as a viable alternative for countries in the Bay of Bengal region.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Amira Jadoon and Iqraa Bukhari
A shift towards utilising female fighters for pragmatic reasons would not be without precedent, as evidenced in case studies of Boko Haram or Islamic State affiliates in Southeast Asia. Pakistan, in particular, presents a largely “untapped female operative market”.
Read MoreWritten by Chris Fitzgerald
The international community should leverage the Taliban’s desire for recognition and the need to solve Afghanistan’s problems with improving human rights in the country.
Read MoreWritten by Lukas Fiala
The key question is whether Xi’s growing assertiveness and inadequacy of existing means to ensure the security of Chinese entities abroad will lead to a more pronounced security footprint over the coming decade, featuring new military base arrangements and, potentially, institutionalised security guarantees.
Read MoreWritten by Dante Schulz
The Taliban’s inability to address the security and economic concerns of its partners will only exacerbate the glaring issues plaguing Afghanistan.
Read MoreWritten by Marcus Andreopoulos
Out of office, Khan is proving to be a relentless source of pressure, first for Bajwa and now for Munir. Khan has accused the military of holding the country back during a time of economic and humanitarian catastrophe.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Siegfried O. Wolf
Islamabad must realise that the Taliban constitutes a hostile government in Afghanistan and that it is not able to drive a wedge between the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban.
Read More2022 was a difficult year for Pakistan: A humanitarian crisis sparked by devastating floods, the assassination attempt against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and a faltering economy. Growing political instability also prompted US President Joe Biden to call Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world, characterising it as “nuclear weapons without cohesion”.
Read MoreWritten by Apoorva Jain
South Asia is increasingly facing threats from natural, technological, and complex disasters. Meanwhile, coordination failure is turning natural disasters into catastrophes. Disaster aid and relief can be an effective diplomatic tool in the region.
Read MoreWritten by Rushali Saha
The Biden administration’s expansion of the geographic definition of the Indo-Pacific to include the entire Indian Ocean, while a positive first step, is merely a symbolic move unless complemented with concrete policy action.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Foxley
A collapse back into civil war is not inevitable, but the Taliban are clearly struggling to move from an insurgency to a government.
Read MoreWritten by Bashir Abbas
India’s abstentions during the present Ukraine crisis are occurring during the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose right-wing credentials are well established. The 2014 vote on Crimea occurred during the rule of its predecessor — the United Progressive Alliance, a centrist party with the Congress at its helm.
Read MoreWritten by Julia Strasheim
The debate on how women get to participate in matters of international peace and security is both a timely and a relevant one. While there has been improvement, continue to be woefully underrepresented in the peace and security domain.
Read MoreWritten by Namra Naseer
So far, Pakistan has not been the main arena of US-China competition. It need not become so, specifically if the country takes effective steps to improve bilateral relations with the United States and retain its autonomy in the growing ties with China.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Foxley
The Taliban’s seizure of power and the sheer speed of government collapse took everyone by surprise. The international community, Afghanistan’s neighbourhood, and the Afghan population themselves are now attempting to understand and address the implications of a Taliban regime.
Read MoreWritten by David Hutt
There is a deep sense of unease about America's actual place in world affairs. It is therefore worth considering whether American power, at home and abroad, appears weak or is weak.
Read MoreWritten by Nicholas Ross Smith
Washington needs to replace its grand strategy with more nuanced strategies that better reflect the evolving power dynamics of the international and regional systems. Without realistic adjustments, the United States and its allies face a difficult future of regional great power competitions in Eastern Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Read More
