Written by Jason Togut
The history of silver has not come full circle, but it has begun to rhyme. Ming China pulled silver across the Pacific because its fiscal system created enormous monetary demand. Modern China pulls silver into factories because its industrial system creates enormous technological demand.
Read MoreWritten by Erdem Lamazhapov
Fears that the Polar Silk Road is an instrument for gaining control in the Arctic or over Greenland mistake what is essentially a slogan for a coherent, centrally-directed strategy. Still, while the slogan is heard less frequently these days, it has not yet fallen into obscurity. Under the right conditions, China might find it useful to defrost the Polar Silk Road.
Read MoreAs 9DASHLINE expands its Indo-Pacific coverage, Assistant Editors — Luana Correia, Akash Nayak and Elizabeth Cherchia — share what drew them to the region, the trends they believe deserve greater attention, and what makes analysis truly stand out.
Their perspectives highlight the region’s complexity and the importance of looking beyond familiar narratives.
Read MoreThe August edition of THE NAVIGATOR is now available, delivering in-depth analysis, up-to-date information, and a comprehensive look at the Indo-Pacific region. This month we examine a region facing mounting pressure on multiple fronts. From extreme climate shocks and economic strain to shifting security partnerships and great-power competition, governments across the Indo-Pacific are increasingly focused on resilience, adaptability, and domestic stability.
Join our briefing today and stay ahead of the curve.
Read MoreAhead of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek (31 Aug – 1 Sept), 9DASHLINE spoke with Dr. Eva Seiwert about her new book, The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and China’s Vision of International Relations. Marking the SCO’s 25th anniversary, Dr. Seiwert draws on Chinese-language sources and interviews to examine how Beijing leverages the alliance to shape an alternative international order and navigate modern geopolitical crises.
Read MoreWritten by Angelo M'BA
In the future, even less confrontational and security-focused iterations of FOIP are likely to face Beijing’s opposition because their premise of involving external actors — to balance China’s dominance — clashes with Beijing’s own objectives, regardless of content.
Read MoreWritten by Carmina Yu Untalan
Indeed, if stronger Philippines-Japan relations rest on upholding a rules-based international order, then both parties must extend the same normative and legal commitments to protect and empower the communities in their own island peripheries.
Read MoreAs 9DASHLINE continues to expand its coverage across the Indo-Pacific, our editorial team recently welcomed two Associate Editors — Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Yatana Yamahata, recently sat down with them to discuss their interests, the key trends shaping the Indo-Pacific, and where they think its coverage should be heading.
Read MoreWritten by William Ford
If the Takaichi administration makes the difficult decision to lower rice tariffs or expand import quotas, it could bring down rice prices for Japanese consumers while also strengthening Japan’s partnerships with Southeast Asian rice exporters.
Read MoreThis month, we examine EU engagement with the Taliban, where Chris Fitzgerald argues that efforts to curb irregular migration risk undermining the bloc's longstanding commitment to human rights and international law. As Europe weighs strategic pragmatism against its normative identity, Fitzgerald asks what is sacrificed when geopolitical priorities take precedence over democratic values.
Join our briefing today and stay ahead of the curve.
Read MoreWritten by Grace Corcoran and Aditya Gowdara Shivamurthy
Maritime security presents a high-impact avenue for coordination. Bangladesh possesses one of the most capable armed forces in the region and is the second-largest recipient of Chinese military equipment worldwide.
Read MoreWritten by Leonardo Morreale
In a first clash, both China and Japan would be learning the most expensive lessons in real time, and the side that adapts faster, not the side with more hulls, would likely prevail.
Read MoreWritten by Jing Ge
China’s controls are changing Japan’s political calculus: dependence on Chinese supply is no longer just a commercial risk but an economic-security vulnerability.
Read MoreWritten by Edwin Akpotu
While diplomacy can reduce immediate risks, longer-term change depends on progress on Kashmir, reductions in cross-border violence, and stronger political support for engagement in both countries. This helps explain why periods of calm have repeatedly proven fragile despite considerable diplomatic effort.
Read MoreWritten by Hunter Marston
The recent Russia-ASEAN Summit is only the latest example of a more diffuse and loosely organised world order, in which Washington plays a less central role, and its rivals are calling the shots. While this emerging multipolar order is currently fuelling regional anxieties of instability and conflict in Southeast Asia, it is likely to be the new normal.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Paco Milhiet
Left unresolved, this deadlock carries its own strategic cost: renewed instability would further strain an already fragile economy, deter the investment needed to revive the nickel sector, and cast doubt on France’s capacity to manage its own territory.
Read MoreWritten by Marie Hiliquin
Europe, facing a myriad of diplomatic and economic pressures from China and lacking a unified centre, is increasingly engaging in self-containment on China policy — exemplified by Germany and the Czech Republic denying transit to Taiwan's president in April 2026.
Read MoreWritten by Debodipta Nandan
The Iran war, waged in the name of nuclear non-proliferation, has reinforced a lesson for Asia’s major powers: the protection the US-led order extends to them is conditional, granted or withheld at Washington’s discretion.
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