Middle East — 9DASHLINE

US-China in 2024: One year after the spy balloon incident

Written by Rorry Daniels

While breakthroughs remain unlikely, the test in 2024 is whether the US and China can manage differences quietly and directly while under the political magnifying glass.

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In Forum — Great power politics amid great turbulence

For many in the Global South and the Indo-Pacific, the West’s contrasting responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Isreal-Palestine conflict have revealed a hypocrisy that undermines the international order it is seeking to protect and promote.

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks a number of experts how these factors will shape great power competition.

BRICS Plus: India’s perspective on the group’s expansion

Written by Rishma Banerjee

Given the broader context of India’s rivalry with China, and its tightrope act of balancing ties between Russia and the West, New Delhi’s support for the six new BRICS members reflects its broader strategic and geopolitical interests.

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A looming challenge: Women in Pakistan’s terrorism landscape

Written 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”.

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China’s uncertain future as a global security provider

Written 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.

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’We’re going through changes’ – What Xi meant when he spoke to Putin

Written by Dr Kerry Brown

In this context, the one positive Russia offers to China is that it does not belong to the Western bloc. Xi’s seemingly warm words to Putin are an acknowledgement that his enemy’s enemy is his friend.

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The fate of the Indo-Pacific: Lessons from Ukraine and US diplomacy towards Taiwan

Written by Reuben Steff and Martin Jirušek

Should war or a system of neo-Cold War style blocs emerge, it will be US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific that form the new frontlines and that have the most to lose.

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The EU ventures into the strategic “jungle”

Written by Mohammadbagher Forough

While tropes such as ‘values’ and ‘standards’ are promoted as the main feature of the Global Gateway’s connectivity agenda, African countries (and many others in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America) will not overlook the fact that this promoted feature contrasts uneasily with neo-colonialist-sounding dichotomies like ‘garden/jungle’.

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Western Indian Ocean: The missing piece in the US Indo-Pacific Strategy

Written 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.

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In Conversation: Ramon Pacheco Pardo on 'Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop'

9DASHLINE recently engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with Dr Ramon Pacheco Pardo about his fascinating new book ‘Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop’, which charts the incredible rise of South Korea, from colonisation and civil war to the thriving nation it is today.

US efforts to strengthen collective defence in Europe won’t come free for Asia

Written by Tom Corben

What will frustrate many in Asia is that the urgency evident in these new US commitments to collective defence in Europe is yet to be mirrored in parallel efforts in the Indo-Pacific.

NATO and the ‘Asia-Pacific Four’: Renewed purpose for cooperation

Written by Alexandra Sakaki

NATO has not only increased its attention to Asian security dynamics and challenges over the past years, but it has also sought to strengthen relations with the AP4 countries.

The rationale behind Beijing’s position on the war in Ukraine

Written by Wang Li

Beijing believes that even if Moscow’s reputation as a formidable military power has suffered a serious blow during its war in Ukraine it will be able to re-emerge as a stronger power in a short time.

Liberalism from below: The Global South, Ukraine and the Liberal International Order

Written by Indrajit Roy

Of the 141 countries that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, over 90 are from the Global South. Criticisms of Russia are thus not confined to European or North American countries.

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India’s domestic manufacturing amidst COVID-19

Written by Akhil Bery

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ahead of the 2024 general elections, the Indian government needs to focus its efforts on job creation.

What are the regional security implications of Indonesia’s capital relocation?

Written by Ahmad Rizky M. Umar

While Indonesia’s capital relocation is mostly related to the country’s domestic development priorities, it carries regional security implications that must be addressed as tensions in the Indo-Pacific region increase.

Evolution, not revolution, will define Yoon’s foreign policy

Written by Ramon Pacheco Pardo

As for Yoon’s approach toward the Indo-Pacific, we can expect Yoon to seek to boost security cooperation with the US — above all — Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe to contain China’s behaviour in the region.

US credibility at home and abroad

Written 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.