From the Wuhan Consensus to the Moscow Agreement: Unlocking the India-China conundrum

Written by Archana Atmakuri

The Galwan Valley clash marked the end of the Wuhan-Chennai consensus which had raised hopes that India and China would discuss and resolve deep misunderstandings, however, informal summits failed to prevent the recent tensions in Ladakh.

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At 50, Bangladesh perfects an India-China 'balancing act'

Written by Rudabeh Shahid and Arafat Kabir

If China responds to Bangladesh’s urgent call for help, it will only reinforce the established trend. For now, Dhaka has learned to keep faith in Beijing, which is most evident in Bangladesh’s reluctance in joining the Quad Security Initiative.

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South Korea navigates the Indo-Pacific

Written by Ramon Pacheco Pardo

Along with China and India, South Korea is one of the top three Asian manufacturers of vaccines. Thus, South Korean pharmaceutical firms are going to become critical to the rollout of vaccines across the Indo-Pacific region. The KORUS Global Vaccine Partnership (agreed to by Seoul and Washington) is a clear step in this direction.

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Washington and Tokyo’s old alliance for a new era: Changing strategic priorities and expectations

Written by Monika Chansoria

Any potential reconsideration on the Okinawa bases will likely have a cascading effect on the US-Japan alliance and Tokyo’s national security strategy at large. After all, Okinawa is not merely a peripheral Japanese prefecture, but the lynchpin of American and Japanese strategic positioning in the East China Sea.

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Myanmar's military isn't playing politics: It’s trying to end them

Written by Hunter Marston

It is unlikely that the United States will arm various factions to topple the military — nor should it, as doing so would only add more fuel to an already raging fire. Only by helping the elected government deliver basic governance to the people who elected it can the country hope for a future in which the military steps aside and allows the restoration of democracy.

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Decentering ASEAN in the Quad’s Indo-Pacific strategy

Written by Rohan Mukherjee

ASEAN can then continue to hold together and take a middle path, offering security cooperation to the Quad, economic cooperation to China, and institutionalised opportunities for diplomacy all around. The Quad for its part can continue growing its footprint without maintaining the pretence of ASEAN centrality and the need to convince smaller regional states to irrationally become the tip of the spear aimed at China.

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ASEAN centrality in trade and investment

Written by Ong Kian Ming

ASEAN must also be willing to push the envelope when it comes to economic diplomacy in a manner that would strengthen the unity of the grouping and safeguard the interests of its members.

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Russia’s conduct in the South China Sea

Written by Nivedita Kapoor

In the long term, Russia has the potential to become a regional energy supplier as well as provide connectivity via the Arctic Northern Sea Route (instead of via the Straits of Malacca), which could mitigate the contradictions in the SCS.

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India and the EU: Small steps through summits

Written by Chirayu Thakkar

Even though there would remain a considerable gap between the EU’s policy commitment to the Indo-Pacific and actual maritime efforts, India should appreciate and build upon the moral strength that the policy brings to multilateral efforts.

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Standing up to China could help bring Lithuania, the EU and Taiwan closer together

Written by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy

Lithuania’s decision to open an office in Taiwan sets a precedent for Latvia and Estonia, neighbours who face similar threats from China — and Russia — and must urgently address similar vulnerabilities at home.

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Burmese blowback: Prayuth’s myopic Myanmar policy

Written by Zachary Abuza

Myanmar might not be a failed state yet, but it is teetering towards becoming one. And the capture of the state by EAOs and transnational syndicates will impact Thai security for years to come.

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Rare earths in the grey zone

Written by Michael Brodka

Diversification policy and supply chain alternatives provide the mechanisms for Indo-Pacific countries to lessen their dependence on Chinese REEs; however, further action is necessary. Any long-term REE strategy must also contain plans to reduce consumption, improve the efficiency of the resource, and emphasise recycling.

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Realising the Great Change: Beijing’s South China Sea lawfare strategy

Written by Ryan Lucas

Too often, foreign policy analysts have focused principally on the hard power component of China’s ambitions in the South China Sea. This security-centric approach, while important, risks downplaying a critical piece of China’s South China Sea strategy in the post-pandemic era.

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India and China: Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific decade: Future scenarios — Part II

Written by Velina Tchakarova

India’s geopolitical choices are either joining the US-led bloc of predominantly Anglosphere allies and close partners such as Japan and Australia against China, or, once again, building partnerships of non-aligned middle powers that can navigate through the complex relationship between Washington and Beijing without taking sides.

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Beijing’s ambivalence about the coup in Myanmar

Written by Murray Heibert

Beijing is unlikely to step up its role in Myanmar unless there is a sudden and massive outpouring of refugees across the border into China or opponents of the junta begin threatening Chinese infrastructure in the country.

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New Zealand’s Five Eyes stance: Not surprising, not unjust, and not unwise

Written by Lucas Knotter

New Zealand and the Five Eyes should continue to give strong signals in opposition to China’s international and domestic conduct, but it is hard to countenance a positive outcome from antagonistic machismo rhetoric.

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India’s disastrous second wave: Slick PR can’t save a sick country

Written by Manali Kumar

On-the-ground stories of inadequate testing and outright manipulation of test results lend credence to findings from the IHME’s latest modelling: the true extent of the pandemic may in fact be about 6.76 million cases per day.

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Time to retire the ‘China threat’ debate

Written by Mariana Vieira

Because the ‘China threat’ debate is premised upon the American understanding of 1945 as year-zero of its own global hegemony, proponents struggle to grapple with the potential for different, past and future, conceptions of a global order.

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