Written by Gilang Kembara
China’s island-building strategy in the South China Sea is not only reshaping the maritime order, but also provoking responses from regional claimants and external actors — whether through competition, imitation, or resistance — that unintentionally reinforce a practice-based order in which behaviour, rather than legal norms, determines outcomes.
Read MoreWritten by Anuttama Banerji and Nayanima Basu
While the IPMSC marks a pivotal shift in US foreign policy strategy, particularly its military posture in the Pacific Ocean, this initiative, coupled with the strategic redesignation of USPACOM, underscores a clear intent to substantially bolster the US military’s presence in the region.
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.
Read MoreAs the United States faces growing democratic challenges at home, the second part of this series brings together leading experts to examine what this means for liberal democracy across the Indo-Pacific.
Their perspectives explore whether Washington's declining influence strengthens authoritarianism — or creates space for new, regionally rooted approaches to democratic governance.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Anisa Heritage
While a consolidation strategy offers a sensible course correction, deterrence in the Indo-Pacific depends as much on regional confidence in long-term political commitments as it does on military capability.
Read MoreAs the US marks its 250th anniversary, we invite several key experts to analyse how a changing US foreign policy and regional minilateralism are reshaping Indo-Pacific geopolitics.
Read MoreWritten by Liselotte Odgaard
As US strategy increasingly prioritises the Indo-Pacific while delegating greater responsibility to allies, NATO-IP4 cooperation is likely to deepen selectively — focusing on functional areas such as technology, maritime security, and resilience — rather than evolving into a fully institutionalised global alliance framework.
Read MoreWritten by Jing Ge
Taiwan’s undersea cables are not only a communications vulnerability; they are also a test of crisis discipline in the Indo-Pacific. In a Taiwan Strait crisis, a severed cable could be read as an accident, a coercive signal, or the opening move in a larger confrontation.
Read MoreWritten by Kushang Mishra
Instead of using this platform to champion a fairer system as an emerging leader of the Global South, the Indian government appeared content to secure a seat at the global power table and seek investments from the very Big Tech companies it has itself criticised in the past.
Read MoreWritten by Peter Chai
If Japan is to navigate rising immigration without fuelling social division, public debate must move beyond simplified crime narratives. When officials discuss crimes by “foreigners” in isolation without historical context or comparisons with overall crime trends and across subgroups, they risk creating an unbalanced narrative and fuelling concerns about xenophobia.
Read MoreWritten by Luana Correia
Influence in climate diplomacy is becoming increasingly dispersed, as traditional agenda-setters fail to consolidate their authority, creating space for competing interests — and claims to leadership — to shape outcomes.
Read MoreWritten by Quay Say Jye and Connor O’Brien
The thorny question remains what lines are not worth crossing, and when normative and institutional guardrails may prove strategically beneficial over the long term, especially for small and middle powers.
Read MoreWritten by Jeremy Youde
If the existing liberal international order is indeed undergoing a profound and transformative shift, and not just a reaction to Trump’s foreign policy, then there is an opportunity for change that will better serve people all over the world — or a chance for humanity to fall further from its collective aspirations.
Read MoreWritten by Phuong Nguyen
The era of digital independence is closing fast. From 5G to AI, the Indo-Pacific is fragmenting into competing ecosystems centred on Washington and Beijing.
Read MoreWritten by Taufiq E. Faruque and Rubiat Saimum
Bangladesh no longer intends to operate as a peripheral state within an India-centric security order in South Asia, but as a globally connected security actor seeking to maximise strategic autonomy over its procurement choices, maritime posture, and regional role.
Read MoreWritten by Yatana Yamahata
Solidarity among Southeast Asians has strengthened pro-democracy movements across the region and, in doing so, fostered a sense of shared regional identity. ASEAN, however, does not mirror nor reinforce this solidarity. Instead, it remains constrained by its founding principle of non-interference.
Read MoreWritten by Kristina Lozinskaya
More can and should be done to deter, protect from, and respond to Chinese cyberattacks. If leveraged appropriately, the Quad can offer a powerful counter to China’s growing cyber threats.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Indonesia’s foreign service, though respected in ASEAN, has not fully kept pace with the demands of a world where China is central to trade, technology, and security. Without a cadre of China specialists embedded across government and academia, Jakarta risks responding to events rather than shaping them.
Read More
