United Nations — 9DASHLINE

In Forum: 2024 — the South China Sea at a crossroads

The South China Sea remains one of the most potentially explosive regions in the world. What role can regional actors and organisations play in de-escalating the conflict and putting an end to the escalatory trends witnessed in 2023?

We invite several experts to assess the prospects for stability in 2024.

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At China’s Universal Periodic Review, European states must defend human rights in Hong Kong

Written by Megan Khoo and Anouk Wear

The UPR is an opportunity to enhance what EU member states have been practising at the domestic and EU level over the past five years, and one which complements and solidifies their positions.

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In Forum: 2024 — Minilaterals in the Indo-Pacific

Minilaterals have become the partnerships of choice for addressing joint problems in the Indo-Pacific and deepening cooperation beyond traditional formats.

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE invites several experts to assess whether minilaterals can make global governance more effective and whether the institutional landscape of the Indo-Pacific will become overcrowded in 2024.

The significance of North Korea's spy satellite launch for regional security

Written by Wooyun Jo

The spy satellite launch reinforces the need for vigilant monitoring and surveillance to assess the capabilities and intentions of North Korea, as well as to strengthen regional defence against potential nuclear missile attacks.

East Asia9DLJanuary 17, 20249dashline, The significance of North Korea's spy satellite launch for regional security, Wooyun Jo, North Korea, spy satellite, regional security, MALLIGYONG-1, South Korea, US, Japan, Korean Peninsula, Missile Technology Control Regime, satellite technology, Russia, critical technologies, heavy artillery ammunition, Moscow, Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine, technology transfer, military capabilities, spy satellite launch, inter-Korean relationship, Pyongyang, technological advancement, espionage, hostile nations, regional security dynamics, countering threats, detecting threats, long-range ballistic missile technology, United Nations, United Nations resolutions, UNSC, Vann Van Diepen, new technology, troop movements, strategic advantages, nuclear deterrence, intercontinental ballistic missiles, ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, SLBMs, strategic bombers, intelligence-gathering capabilities, strategic assets, real-time intelligence, missiles technology, ballistic missile tests, security interests, regional allies, Yoon Suk-yeol, satellite launch, threat perception, nuclear tensions, space programme, missile capabilities, regional cooperation, deterrence measures, ROK-US-Japan, surveillance, security cooperation, General Security of Military Information Agreement, GSOMIA, Tokyo, ballistic missile defence drill, anti-submarine exercises, trilaterals, missile defence systems, joint military exercises, sanctions, nuclear programmes, missile programmes, economic sanctions, Seoul, Washington

Italy and the Indo-Pacific: towards an Italian Indo-Pacific strategy

Written by Dr Gabriele Abbondanza

All things considered, it seems evident that Italy is ready to develop and issue a formal Indo-Pacific strategy that considers national, European, and Indo-Pacific interests as vital components of a strategic whole.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLDecember 6, 20239dashline, Italy and the Indo-Pacific: towards an Italian Indo-Pacific strategy, Gabriele Abbondanza, Indo-Pacific, Italy, flashpoints, Taiwan, East China Seas, South China Seas, Korean Peninsula, choke points, global maritime trade, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, macro-region, US, Indo-Pacific nations, Europe, IPSR, International Political Science Review, European foreign policy, France, UK, Germany, EU, European Union, Indo-Pacific strategy, Indo-Pacific committee, Italian parliament, naval deployments, Rome, Enlarged Mediterranean, Mediterraneo Allargato, United Nations, Carabiniere frigate, European missions, NATO missions, Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific mission, Morosini offshore patrol vessel, offshore patrol vessels, South China Sea, multilateral exercises, Cavour carrier strike group, international law, multilateralism, strategic partnerships, China, beijing, international order, Pacific Island Forum, PIF, Vietnam, South Korea, Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, ASEAN, Italian-Indian-Japanese trilateral, Japan, Global Combat Air Programme, Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, multilateral approach, strategic compass, political affiliation, foreign policy priorities, Chamber of Deputies, parliamentary committee, risk-benefit analysis

While the world softens on the Taliban, Afghans continue to suffer

Written 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.

Editor's Picks9DLAugust 16, 20239dashline, While the world softens on the Taliban, Afghans continue to suffer, Chris Fitzgerald, Afghanistan, US, United States, Taliban, Taliban regime, Doha, US department of state, Thomas West, Special Representative of Afghanistan, Qatar, humanitarian crisis, human rights situation, terrorism, authoritarian, terror groups, womens rights, minority rights, Kabul, Hamid Karzai International Airport, Washington, sanctions, Islamic extremist groups, Islamic extremism, Amina Mohammed, António Guterres, embassies, China, Uzbekistan, trans-Afghan railway, economic crises, humanitarian crises, starvation, humanitarian assistance, Al Qaeda, Islamic State in Khorasan, ISIS-K, human rights record, LGBTQIA+ rights, gender rights, enforced veiling, restricting freedom of movement, international aid organisations, domestic aid organisations, UN, United Nations, international law, Central Asia, While the world softens on the Taliban Afghans continue to suffer

China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe: stuttering to a halt?

Written by Dr Jeremy Garlick

The BRI’s unfulfilled potential in the region leaves the connectivity and cooperation aims of the initiative largely on the shelf, with the main successes for China located in Western Balkan countries that are not EU members.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLJune 12, 20239DashLine, China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe: stuttering to a halt?, Jeremy Garlick, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), China, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), One Belt One Road, Beijing, Russia, Western Europe, developing world, Global South, investment, Cold War, Soviet influence, Sino-Soviet split, communist regimes, 16+1 framework, 16+1, 16+1 summit, 14+1, 17+1, EU, trade, economy, trade routes, China-CEE cooperation, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s invasion, Russia's aggression, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Taiwan, infrastructure, Western Balkans, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, China-CEE cooperation framework, Russia’s regional influence, Greece, high-speed railway, Belgrade, Budapest, EU regulations, Hungary, Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, Southeast Europe, port of Piraeus, trade chain, Suez Canal, trade volumes, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, bilateral deals, EU bureaucracy, highway, railway, Danube River, bridge, sewer system, power plants, energy infrastructure, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Central Asia, Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Africa, EU accession, EU integration, creditor, Fudan University, ‘One China’ policy, United Nations, Xinjiang, connectivity, Eurosceptic, CEE countries, CEE region, regionalisation, CEE, Central and Eastern Europe, European Union

Beijing uses border villages to secure territorial claims

Written by Harry Thursby-Pelham

With India constructing roads and border villages leading up to the LAC in response to China’s construction, it looks like tensions on the border will continue in the foreseeable future.

Emerging Issues9DLMarch 30, 20239DashLine, Beijing uses border villages to secure territorial claims, Harry Thursby-Pelham, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region, India, China, LAC, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress, 19th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress, India-China border, India-China border dispute, Plan for the Construction of Well-off Villages in the Border Areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) (2017-2020), xiaokang, 'xiaokang’ villages, People’s Republic of China, fortification, permanent infrastructure, disputed Tibetan border region, Tibet’s history, Mongols, British India, Qing Dynasty, Simla Convention, McMahon Line, Tibetan-Indian Border, Line of Actual Control (LAC), Arunachal Pradesh, suzerain, independence, 1962 Sino-Indian War, South Tibet, occupation, sovereignty, nuclear weapons, military, modern warfare, globalisation, international community, United Nations, uti possidetis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Deng Xiaoping, ‘biding one’s time’ (tao guang yang hui), hard power, infrastructure, ethnic minority, rural revitalisation, Shigatse, Lhokha, Nyingchi, Ngari, Indian Foreign Ministry, Tibetans, Han Chinese, Global Times, South China Sea, Philippines, 2015 Hague Tribunal, Exclusive Economic Zone, judicial legitimacy, Woody Island, New Delhi, Beijing, international law, Indian Union Cabinet, Vibrant Village Programme, Galwan Valley, BEIJING USES BORDER VILLAGES TO SECURE TERRITORIAL CLAIMS

Reflecting on Ardern: Don't confuse going slow with no change

Written by Dr Lucas Knotter

Now that Ardern has been replaced by Chris Hipkins as Aotearoa prime minister, it is unclear whether New Zealand’s foreign policy will change substantially.

Power Politics9DLMarch 28, 20239DashLine, Lucas Knotter, Reflecting on Ardern: confusing slow with no change, New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, 2020 New Zealand parliamentary elections, Jacinda Ardern’s premiership, Aotearoa, Aotearoa politics, general election in October 2023, radical incrementalism, NZ Labour Party, February 2022 Parliament Lawn protest, COVID-19, COVID-19 restrictions, anti-government sentiment, right-wing MPs, female prime minister, feminism, sexism, misogyny, New Zealand National Party, water management centralisation, New Zealand's international status, small state, minor power, Nicholas Ross Smith, Aotearoa’s ‘soft power’, soft power, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Vogue, celebrity, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, New Zealand’s foreign policy, US, China, alignment, middle ground, Indo-Pacific, Aotearoa’s ‘constructive ambiguity’, interlocutor, Pacific Islands, indigenous foreign policy, Anna Powles, Solomons-China security agreement, Chris Hipkins, Managed Isolation and Quarantine, crime, inequality, wealth disparities, climate policy, Emissions Reduction Plan, National Adaptation Plan, Max Rashbrooke, Helen Clark, John Key, both-sidesing, Zero Carbon Act, United Kingdom, United Nations, Reflecting on Ardern: Don't confuse going slow with no change

The Taliban continues to struggle for international recognition

Written 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.

Faultlines9DLMarch 21, 20239DashLine, The Taliban continues to struggle for international recognition, Dante Schulz, Taliban, Afghan Acting Minister of Interior Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, European Union, Afghanistan, humanitarian assistance, diplomacy, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, official recognition, Taliban regime, human rights, terrorist groups, terrorism, Kabul, Afghan Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi, Turkey, Antalya Diplomacy Forum, China, Tunxi Neighbouring Countries Meeting, Tashkent International Conference, Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, NATO, India, embassy, national security, Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Company, investment, Afghanistan’s Amu Darya river basin, Chinese-Taliban economic partnership, United Nations, ban women from attending universities, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, ban on female aid workers, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmen, Uzbeks, inclusive government, displacement, ethnic minorities, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Islamabad, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Obaid ur Rehman Nizamani, global caliphate, Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu, ceasefire

Normative power Taiwan? Human rights and Taiwan-EU relations

Written by Marcin Jerzewski

In the context of Taiwan-EU relations, the primary objective of cooperation on human rights should be to address the main areas of concern delineated by the EU.

Two years after coup, Myanmar junta adapts to isolation

Written by Hunter Marston

Western aid is far away and will remain hostage to both Myanmar’s immediate neighbours, with whom they must coordinate, and broader concerns about security on the European continent, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will grip Western leaders’ attention for the foreseeable future.

2023: Addressing climate change

Given the poor performance of industrialised countries in delivering promised climate finance, what are the prospects for the loss and damage fund, details of which are to be negotiated at COP28 this year?

ASEAN enters 2023 in a moment of crisis

Written by Hunter Marston

Some experts suggest Indonesia is likely to propose adopting a seven-vote threshold instead of requiring all ten members to agree on passing a measure. This would go a long way to making the institution more agile, responsive, and decisive.

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China’s population prospects: A historical perspective

Written by Cameron Campbell

Policies should instead focus on adaptations to realise fully the potential of the existing labour force and alter the environment to facilitate healthy and independent living for the elderly.

China, transnational organised crime, and Southeast Asia’s SEZs — is this Quid pro quo?

Written by Marco Neveu and Charlie Thame

Xi’s anti-corruption projects in the mainland seem to have sparked a degree of outward mobility by the triads from the authoritarian domestic core towards the more liminal and experimental periphery of Chinese influence.

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South Asia must proactively prepare to face climate change

Written by Manali Kumar

South Asian countries would do well to finally set aside their mutual animosities and start developing transnational and regional mechanisms to adapt to climate change and recover from disasters.

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Death penalty in Southeast Asia: Disturbing trends

Written by Susannah Patton

The mixed picture for the death penalty in Southeast Asia, especially in countries where the death penalty is being actively debated, such as Malaysia, suggests that further advocacy by Australia and other like-minded countries would be timely.

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