The Bougainville Autonomous Region: Balancing independence and foreign relations

Written by Dr Lucas Knotter

While it is tempting to view the relatively small island of Bougainville as merely drifting into the geopolitical whirlwinds of more powerful actors in the region, we should not forget that Bougainville also maintains considerable leverage in relation to these actors.

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2023: Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia — foreign policies between hegemons

With Australian elections ushering in a change of government and Aotearoa New Zealand’s planned parliamentary elections this year, 9DASHLINE sought the views of several experts on the state of both nations’ foreign and defence policies.

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2023: South Korea and nuclear ambitions

Should South Korea develop its own nuclear weapons? 9DASHLINE invites a select group of experts to assess the viability of this proposition and its potential impact.

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India’s G20 presidency in 2023: Modi’s time to shine?

Written by Manali Kumar

With the next round of parliamentary elections scheduled for the summer of 2024, Modi is already in campaign mode, and the G20 presidency has all but been declared a success.

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2023: The prospect of Pacific Island agency

9DASHLINE asks several experts for their assessment of the prospects for Pacific Island agency in 2023 international politics, especially beyond the 'big power influence' by the US and China that has so often been written about in 2022.

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Road to nowhere? Prospects for the BRI in 2023 and beyond

Written by Philip Lott

With increased competition from the EU and the G7, as well as recent readjustments of the Belt and Road Initiative’s scope and spending, one question remains: will China’s “project of a century” be short-lived?

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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?

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2023: Where is Japan headed under Kishida?

9DASHLINE invited a select group of experts to assess how the Kishida administration’s policies on domestic, international, economic, and security issues will differ from the Abe administration.

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2023: EU decoupling from China?

Such a move would suggest that Brussels was giving in to Washington’s demands instead of pursuing its own objectives. Perhaps counterintuitively, a decoupling from China would therefore be at odds with European calls for strategic autonomy.

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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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2023: The future of CEE-China relations

9DASHLINE asked a select group of experts to assess Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries’ relations with China and how they expect them to evolve in 2023.

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2023: Where is Pakistan heading?

2022 was a difficult year for Pakistan: A humanitarian crisis sparked by devastating floods, the assassination attempt against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and a faltering economy. Growing political instability also prompted US President Joe Biden to call Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world, characterising it as “nuclear weapons without cohesion”.

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Putin’s war and a world in crisis: Beyond democracies and autocracies

Written by Eva Seiwert

The EU and allies should scrap the framing of ‘democracies vs autocracies’ not just with regard to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but also when speaking about China’s increase in power.

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2023: The future of the QUAD in the Indo-Pacific

As a reinvigorated Quad steps up its engagement, some observers have called for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to establish a permanent presence in the Indo-Pacific via a standing maritime force. But how viable is this idea?

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Attentive friends, busy enemies, and a bright future — 2023 for North Korea

Written by Benedikt Staar

North Korean politics are strongly influenced by the regime’s friends, its enemies, and its own ambitions. As it turns out, things look promising for Pyongyang on all three fronts.

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2023: Myanmar’s prospects for peace

With state of emergency set to end at the end of January and the military junta pledging to hold general elections by August 2023, 9DASHLINE asks experts what we should expect from the upcoming elections in Myanmar and whether there is any prospect for peace in the country.

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Best of 2022: In Conversation

In 2022, 9DASHLINE had the pleasure of speaking with the authors of several insightful books, with topics ranging from the current US-China strategic competition to the history of mountain communities in Nepal. Here we present some of our most thought-provoking In Conversation interviews of the past year.

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Best of 2022: Understanding China

A central actor in regional and global politics and governance, scholars and analysts continue to debate all aspects of its domestic and foreign policies. Speculation remains rife about whether a collapse of its economy and government is imminent, or whether it will forcibly claim Taiwan.

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