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.

South Asia9DLSeptember 12, 20259DASHLINE, Farwa Aamer, The Indus Waters Treaty: South Asia's most durable accord faces a tough test, India, Pakistan, Indus Water Treaty, Climate change, agriculture, India-Pakistan, water shortages, water management

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.

South Asia, Editor's Picks9DLSeptember 3, 20259DASHLINE, Trump’s Pakistan Deal Risks Neglecting the Plight of Imran Khan, Donald Trump, Imran Khan, US, Pakistan, US-Pakistan relations, Marcus Andreopoulos, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Democracy in Pakistan, Pakistani protests

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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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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Discover the June issue of The Navigator – out now

This month our briefs examine shifting US engagement: new Pacific travel restrictions threaten Washington’s influence, while South Korea’s pragmatic diplomacy may clash with a potential Trump foreign policy reset. Across the region, leaders face a volatile mix of economic strain, diplomatic frictions, and intensifying rivalries — from South Asia’s post-crisis diplomacy to renewed tensions in Southeast Asia and growing unease in East Asia.

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News9DLJune 27, 2025Trump, ASEAN, Taiwan, The Navigator, 9DASHLINE, US, United States, Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, South China Sea, India-Pakistan, India, Pakistan, France, New Caledonia, Macron, Cambodia, Pacific Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga

Discover the May issue of The Navigator – out now

This month we cover the India-Pakistan flare-up that reignited nuclear concerns, followed by a burst of regional diplomacy. Our briefs examine how China and India are turning foreign policy into a tool of domestic control — through maritime coercion in Beijing’s case, and treaty-based pressure from New Delhi.

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News9DLMay 30, 2025Trump, ASEAN, Taiwan, The Navigator, 9DASHLINE, US, United States, Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, Russia, tariffs, Indus Water Treaty, South China Sea, India-Pakistan, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nuclear, France, New Caledonia, Macron, Mu Sochua, Cambodia

What does the forced deportation of Afghan refugees hold for Pakistan?

Written by Mansoor Sadat

Options for returnees are limited. Faced with a repressive regime in Afghanistan, many risk fleeing once again, potentially taking dangerous, illegal routes to other countries in search of safety.

South Asia, Emerging Issues9DLNovember 5, 2024Afghanistan, Pakistan, 9Dashline, Mansoor Sadat, What does the forced deportation of Afghan refugees hold for Pakistan?, refugees

In conversation with Dr T.V. Paul

9DASHLINE recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr T.V. Paul about his latest book: The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi.

This book explores India's successes and constraints since its independence in 1947, analysing the motivations of its leaders and the benchmarks for global status.

In Conversation9DLSeptember 19, 2024TV Paul, 9DASHLINE, The Unfinished Quest, India's Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi, independence in 1947, global status, great power status, Indo-Pacific region, swing power, China-India rivalry, Xi and Modi, Sino-Indian relations, 4, 056-kilometer border, BRICS grouping, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), East Asia, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Bandung meeting, United Nations, Himalayan borders, 1962 war, Indira Gandhi, Pakistan, China ], South Asia, US-led war in Afghanistan, Meiji restoration, China and Japan, Jiang Zemin, Deng Xiaoping, Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping, balance of power, mid-21st century., COVID-19 pandemic, Covid outbreak in 2020, Maldives, Bangladesh, third force, Washington, South China Sea, Hindu nationalism, BJP, Hindu Rashtra, Naval buildup, Muslims, identity politics, BRI, aspirational power, rising power, In conversation with Dr T.V. Paul

TikTok, Hip Hop, and the big shots — humanising great power rivalry

Written by Solomon PM

Contrary to substantive and decades-long literature speculating as to the destabilisation posed by China’s rise, at least in the case of 88rising, this rise has shown signs of being peaceful and mutually beneficial, as well as providing meaning and fulfilment for individuals on both sides of the divide.

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China’s cautious quest to draw Afghanistan back into the fold

Written by Sarah Godek

By increasing relations at a slower pace, China’s government makes a safer long-term bet on Afghanistan that forgoes short-run gains to ensure greater security that could protect longer-term benefits in the future.

Emerging Issues9DLAugust 23, 20249DASHLINE, China’s cautious quest to draw Afghanistan back into the fold, Sarah Godek, Afghanistan, China, Taliban, United Nations, UN, interconnectivity, connectivity, Taliban-led Afghanistan, trade, 2023 Amu Darya oil basin contract, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, Chinese government, United States, US, agriculture, critical materials, copper, lithium, Taliban ambassador, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Taliban’s political commissar, 20th Party Congress, Kabul, terror, terror attacks, Zhao Xing, Hamid Karzai, Ashraf Ghani, peace, US withdrawal, US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia, peace through engagement, mining, Mes Aynak mine, mineral reserves, cotton, pine nut, Xi Jinping, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, China-Tajikistan-Afghanistan corridor, Kazakhstan, trans-Afghan railway project, cargo, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Vice Chairman of Tibet, Tibet, SCO, UNSC travel bans, Taliban officials, dialogue, sanctions, noninterference, internal affairs, China-Afghanistan ties, Wakhan Corridor, CPEC, suicide bombings, Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), Al Qaeda, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement

What the Chinese renminbi’s momentum means for US sanctions power

Written by Andrea Leonard Palazzi

In the end, the path to widespread use of the renminbi — at least to trade with China — is US sanctions themselves.

Faultlines9DLJuly 11, 20249DASHLINE, What the Chinese renminbi’s momentum means for US sanctions power, Andrea Leonard Palazzi, Second World War, Bretton Woods Conference, United States, dollar, USD, US dollar, global economy, World War II, GDP, finance, economics, trade, international currency, China, renminbi, yuan, US sanctions, sanctions, sanctions evasion, sanctions power, dollar-denominated, dollar-denominated transactions, banks, Clearing House Interbank Payment System (CHIPS), FedWire, US law, dollar network, SWIFT, Belgium, financial sanctions, SWIFT messaging system, cross-border, resiliency, resilience, economic statecraft, currency internationalisation, capital account liberalisation, renminbi swap lines, Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), capital controls, primary international currency, balances and assets, export invoicing, Network effects, assets, liquidity, SWIFT-related sanctions, Western sanctions on Russia, Russia, Asia, hedging, hedging against sanctions, interest rates, de-dollarisation, Argentina, Pakistan, macroeconomic, distressed economies, trade facilitation, Venezuela, Brazil, bypass US sanctions, low cast, mBridge program, Global South, market factors, US-China conflict, interconnectedness

Charting Afghanistan’s economic future: Recommendations for reform

Written by Hamayun Khan

For the Taliban, addressing banking constraints and promoting financial transparency are essential for rebuilding trust and attracting investment.

Editor's Picks9DLJuly 1, 20249DASHLINE, Hamayun Khan, Charting Afghanistan’s economic future: Recommendations for reform, South Asian Voices, Taliban, Afghanistan, Pakistan, UNDP, Turkmenistan, TAPI, Asian Development Bank

Don't expect any breakthroughs in India-Pakistan relations

Written by Syed Ali Zia Jaffery

Lacking confidence and bandwidth, Pakistan’s new government is unlikely to prioritise improving ties with India. If anything, India will be way down the pecking order of its policy actions.

South Asia9DLApril 4, 2024Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, 9dashline, Dont expect any breakthoughs in India-Pakistan relations, India, Pakistan, conflict, cooperation, ceasefire, LoC, Kashmir

Counter-insurgency dynamics in Balochistan: Examining militant surrenders and resurgences

Written by Sajid Aziz

The twin threats of separatist movement and militancy by religious-ethnic groups in Pakistan and Iran, respectively, have been perennial sources of mistrust, mutual accusations, frequent border skirmishes, and the recent military strikes and counter-strikes between the two states.

Faultlines9DLFebruary 20, 20249DASHLINE, Sajid Aziz, Counter-insurgency dynamics in Balochistan: Examining militant surrenders and resurgences, Pakistan, Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bangulzai, Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA), surrender, Balochistan’s separatist movement, separatism, separatist militant organisation, independence, Baloch Republican Army (BRA), United Baloch Army (UBA), Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan’s armed forces, Gulzar Imam, military, intelligence, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), violence, Baloch, securitised, Demobilisation, Babar Yousaf, armed struggle, counter-insurgency, fighters, militants, insurgency, amnesty, decapitation strategy, infighting, terrorism, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), middle class, Fedayeen attacks, Majeed Brigade, security forces, Panjgur and Nushki districts, Chinese nationals, suicide attacks, human rights violations, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Iran-Pakistan border, Iran, Gwader, Chahbar, port, Tehran, Islamabad, human smuggling, drug trafficking, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Pakistan’s election — a primer

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.

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Tilting or balancing: Decoding Muizzu’s foreign policy

Written by Michael Kugelman

Ultimately, like any democratic leader, Muizzu will need to walk a tightrope between foreign policy imperatives and domestic political considerations. A balancing policy abroad will also require one at home.

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Kashmir’s youthful aspirants: Politics amidst control and change

Written by Dr Mohd Tahir

The post-Article 370 political landscape shifted political discourse within Kashmir from one of self-rule to development. While this shift is a matter of political expediency for local leaders in the context of the restrictive political environment, it has also opened a window of opportunity for many emerging young Kashmiri leaders.

BIMSTEC revival: A compelling alternative to the BRI in the Bay of Bengal

Written 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.