The myth of the 'vassal state': China’s influence in Laos is waning

Written by Joanne Lin

Statistics have shown that although China has a significant degree of influence over Laos, it is certainly not controlling the country.

The US-India partnership after Modi’s visit to Washington

Written by Satvik Pendyala and Nathaniel Sher

As the United States adapts to rising strategic competition with China, it has sought to strengthen ties with New Delhi as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific.

Power Politics9DLJuly 27, 20239dashline, The US-India partnership after Modi’s visit to Washington, Satvik Pendyala, Nathaniel Sher, Modi, US, US-China, Washington DC, Kurt Campbell, Narendra Modi, people-to-people domains, technology, defence, economy, technology sharing deals, US allies, New Delhi, strategic competition, Indo-Pacific, US-India, China-India, Ladakh, Line of Actual Control, LAC, Tsinghua University, India, influence in South Asia, beijing, US security partner, Ashley Tellis, US-China contingency, Western Pacific contingency, zone of conflict, defence cooperation, Galwan border clashes, India-China tensions, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Western Theater Command, Depsang Plains, Tibetan Military District, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Quad, Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, IPEF, BRICS, SCO, BRI, Global Security Initiative, threat perception, security cooperation, formal ally, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, military contingency, economic development, security interests, great power aspirations, Indian Ocean, Sino-Indian border, territorial disputes, Chinese pressure, maritime capabilities, PLA Navy, military build-up, Malacca Strait, border conflict, border territories, Brahma Chellaney, deterrence signalling, Major Defense Partner, Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1, dual-use technologies, military technologies, joint military exercises, intelligence-sharing, critical jet technology, spaceflight, armed drones, semiconductors

In Conversation with Dr Rohan Mukherjee

9DASHLINE recently sat down with Dr Rohan Mukherjee to talk about his fascinating book Ascending Order: Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions. Using original and robust archival evidence, the book offers the first comprehensive study of conflict and cooperation as new powers join the global arena.

In Conversation9DLJuly 26, 20239dashline, ROHAN MUKHERJEE, In Conversation with Dr Rohan Mukherjee, Ascending Order: Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions, international order, international institutions, rising powers, India, China, Institutional Status Theory, major power, great power, status, hierarchy, diplomacy, war, conflict, Graham Allison, Britain, United States, Beijing, post-1945 US-led international order, trade, finance, human rights, development, environment, Cold War, non-state actors, hegemony, great power club, UN Security Council, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), UN General Assembly, G20, G7, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, C. Raja Mohan, Global North, Global South, Afro-Asian solidarity, Third World, multilateralism, climate change, peacekeeping, global governance, Washington System, Japan, Tokyo, Washington Conference, racism, Asian Development Bank, Korea, Russia, Tudor Onea, Confederacy, American Civil War, 1871 Treaty of Washington

Why China is an unlikely mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war

Written by Dr Eva Seiwert

Despite China’s interest in increasing its involvement in crisis resolution, it remains unclear whether Beijing is willing to mediate, and whether it can be a fair broker, in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In Brief with James Crabtree Executive Director IISS-Asia

This week, 9DASHLINE had the opportunity to speak with James Crabtree, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia (IISS).

In Brief9DLJuly 24, 20239dashline, James Crabtree, International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia, IISS, Asia, security dynamics, Indo-Pacific, Shangri-La Dialogue, India, New Delhi, international order, aspirant great powers, global order, China, US-China, Blinken, US-China relations, Janet Yellen, G20, APEC, Xi Jinping, semiconductor export restrictions, Singapore, Heng Swee Keat, Little Red Dot, economic ties, security partnership, great power rivalry, superpower rivalry, Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore military, Indonesia, North Korea, south korea, Pakistan, joint naval exercises, great broker, Southeast Asia, Joko Widodo, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kiev, inward investment, power projection, ASEAN, South Natuna Sea, regional security cooperation, joint drills, Myanmar, Sino-US competition, minilateral groupings, Quad, pan-regional security, Track-I, In Brief with James Crabtree Executive Director IISS-Asia

North Korea: successful satellite launch coming soon

Written by Joe Varner

Even though this satellite launch failed, it suggests that Pyongyang is following the model of other nuclear weapons states to develop and refine its nuclear deterrence capabilities.

East Asia9DLJuly 20, 2023North Korea: successful satellite launch coming soon, Joe Varner, North Korea, Reconnaissance Satellite, North Korea Space Program, Nuclear weapons, nuclear deterrence, Chollima-1, Malligyong-1, intercontinental ballistic missile, Pyongyang, Military ballistic capabilities, Sohae Satellite Launch Station, long-range drones, Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, 9dashline

Taiwan’s ruling party: Reprioritising livelihood concerns?

Written by Roy Ngerng

Any party which is serious about protecting Taiwan’s democracy and sovereignty would need to prioritise workers’ rights.

Editor's Picks9DLJuly 19, 20239DashLine, Roy Ngerng, Taiwan’s ruling party: reprioritising livelihood concerns?, Taiwan, elections, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), President Tsai Ing-wen, voters, presidential election, Livelihood, United Daily News, survey, housing prices, wages, minimum wage, housing price-to-income ratio, Hong Kong, Taipei, Luxembourg, Sydney, vacation days, youth, affordability, US-China trade war, Taiwanese businesses, food prices, New Power Party (NPP), Vice Premier Shih Jun-ji, wage share, relative poverty, China’s threats, Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), moderates, left-wing, right-wing, wealth inequality, centrist-right, Taiwan’s imbalanced economy, reform, social welfare, ‘progressive’ party, recession, strategic voting, local election, ruling party, Youth Employment Investment Program, Taiwan’s democracy, Basic Wage Deliberation Committee

ASML, China, and Dutch national security interests

Written by Frans-Paul van der Putten

Given the potential geopolitical consequences of the Dutch assumptions for EU-China relations and Transatlantic security cooperation, the Dutch government should be more explicit about its considerations for further restricting semiconductor equipment exports.

In Dialogue: Are current debates over the China threat to Taiwan too one-sided?

With Blake Herzinger and Justyna Szczudlik

Raising awareness of any potential war through a debate about what such a crisis may look like must be accompanied by appropriate preparation for what exactly to do if something happens.

$Prabowo’s Ukraine proposal underscores Indonesia’s fractured foreign policy$

Prabowo’s Ukraine proposal underscores Indonesia’s fractured foreign policy

Written by Andreyka Natalegawa

Prabowo’s controversial proposal, borne out of his efforts to refashion himself as a statesman even while contradicting his own government, underscores the fact that Indonesia will face serious growing pains in its pursuit of a more active regional and global role.

Conservative zealots: Evangelical politics in South Korea

Written by Dr Yong Jae Kim

The critical conundrum for the political success of conservative evangelicals nowadays lies in the uncertainty of the relationship between evangelicals and the established conservative parties.

Soft power through connectivity: How do China and the US compare?

Written by Daniele Carminati

China’s blend of ‘soft’ and economic strategies is arguably becoming one of the most pressing domains of competition with the US, and even includes connectivity initiatives towards other Western allies such as the EU and Japan.

Power Politics9DLJuly 5, 20239dashline, Soft power through connectivity: How do China and the US compare?, Daniele Carminati, China, US, China-US relations, trade, advanced technologies, strategic interests, geopolitical interests, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, soft power, hard power, multifaceted competition, power of attraction, Joseph Nye, culture, foreign policy, values, domestic policies, foreign policymakers, interdependence, high-speed railways, advanced digital networks, ideology, foreign-policy narrative, Global South, developmental needs, soft-power strategies, liberal democratic values, human rights, David Shambaugh, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, economic interdependence, developing countries, Chinese leaders, Chinese scholars, Chinese traditional culture, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, connectivity initiatives, domestic political issues, American Dream, South Korea, Hallyu, policy outcomes, sociocultural, US allies, Build Back Better World, B3W, EU, Global Getaway, Japan, Partnership for Quality Infrastructure, debt trap accusations, infrastructure boost, economic opportunities, Washington, Global Soft Power Index, UK, Germany, Russia-Ukraine war, pragmatism

The transatlantic puzzle in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Mathieu Droin

The brewing Indo-Pacific architecture is inherently “flexilateral” due to the breadth of factors and the rapidly changing stakes that determine its many actors’ positions.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLJune 28, 20239DashLine, The transatlantic puzzle in the Indo-Pacific, Mathieu Droin, European Union, Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, AUKUS, transatlantic, minilateral, Indo-Pacific, Japan, China, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), India, strategy, flexilateral, Thucydides trap, geoeconomic, trade, geostrategic, ASEAN, ASEAN centrality, clubs, biannual EU-US high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific, Washington, France, overseas territories, Indian Ocean, Pacific, strategic autonomy, puissance d’equilibres, power of balances, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Pacific Islands, Netherlands, Germany, Council of the EU, EU presidency, Italy, Rome, Tempest programme, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Raisina Dialogue, Denmark, maritime domain, Hungary, Chinese coercion, Lithuania, dependence, Berlin, Beijing, German Indo-Pacific strategy, Central and Eastern Europe, Xi, Putin, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia-China axis, NATO, EU Indo-Pacific forum, South Korea, New Zealand, President Macron, GLOBSEC Forum, North Macedonia, Sweden, Djibouti, Laos, transatlantic Quad, Anglo-Saxons, aspiring powers, rising powers, strategic autonomists, GCAP, Franco-Indian-UAE initiative, freedom to manoeuvre, Quaderateral Security Dialogue, Quad, EU, UK, Thucydides, Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine, Czech, Nato, GLOBSEC, NZ, UAE, CSIC, CSIS

China’s real estate crisis is still a political danger

Written by Dr Aravind Yelery

To prevent growing unrest and panic among young Chinese and instil faith in Beijing’s rule of law, the government must show that it is willing and able to deal with real estate problems and deliver more than sprawling cities and glossy development.

US-Australia green deal shows friends need benefits

Written by James Bowen

Australia’s enthusiastic embrace of its new US partnership should inform Washington’s green industrial outreach elsewhere in the world.

Editor's Picks9DLJune 22, 20239dashline, US-Australia green deal shows friends need benefits, James Bowen, G7 Summit, G7 summit in Hiroshima, United States, US, Australia, Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact, green industrial policy, bilateral alliance, clean energy supply chains, China, energy transition goods, processed minerals, lithium, Cobalt, rare earths, nickel, solar panels, renewable hydrogen, ammonia, fossil fuels, partnership-building, Washington, Inflation Reduction Act, IRA, climate-conscious economic renaissance, climate action, supply chain, green industrial ambitions, US-Australian compact, Biden, Anthony Albanese, Defense Production Act, AUKUS, supply chain security, Pacific Island nations, decarbonisation, National Reconstruction Fund, Canberra, Minerals Security Partnership, bilateral relationship, green hydrogen production costs, tax credits, free trade agreement

Farmers, Facebook, and Myanmar’s coup

Written by Hilary Faxon, Kendra Kintzi, Van Tran, Kay Zak Wine & Swan Ye Htut

Consistent with broader trends across Facebook in Myanmar, in the days and weeks that followed the coup, farming groups erupted with political news and calls to support the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Faultlines9DLJune 21, 20239dashline, Farmers, Facebook and Myanmar’s coup, Myanmar, Myanmar's junta, Myanmar military coup, Myanmar resistance, Facebook, agriculture, Myanmar military, military, army, agrarian work, revolution, Ministry of Agriculture, Civil Disobedience Movement, online defiance, organic online politics, digital mobilisation, resistance, farming groups, democratic crisis, rural, global revolutions, agrarian dynamics, rural resistance, data politics, anti-authoritarian mobilisation, agricultural bank loans, food security, supply chain issues, digital activism, digital disinformation, surveillance, resurgent authoritarianism, data justice, digital connection, Southeast Asia, rural populations, smallholder farmers, digital ethnography, Crowdtangle, Meta, privatised telecommunications, internet, Facebook groups, agrarian commerce, agrarian knowledge, internet shutdowns, targeted censorship, authoritarian repression, rural communities, rice market collapse, farmers and tractor protests, Myanmar Spring Revolution, internet restrictions, internet surveillance, social media influencers, data, Twitter, TikTok, Signal, Telegram, click-to-donate campaigns, video games, YouTube, anti-military forces, displaced people, online repression, Hilary Faxon, Kendra Kintzi, Mai Van Tran, Kay Zak Wine, New Mandala, and Myanmar’s coup

Gendered insecurities and gender-responsive security sector reform in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Dr Phyu Phyu Oo

Gender-responsive security sector reform shows promise in recognising the security threats to women and marginalised individuals, and working towards ending such violence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Editor's Picks9DLJune 20, 20239dashline, Gendered insecurities and gender-responsive security sector reform in the Indo-Pacific, PHYU PHYU OO, gender-based violence, sexual and gender-based violence, SGBV, human rights violations, gender-based vulnerabilities, man-made conflicts, natural disasters, pandemics, Indo-Pacific, COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 lockdowns, myanmar, Myanmar military coup, women peacebuilders, human rights defenders, gender-based harm, Pacific Islands, gender-based discrimination, structural issue, gender inequalities, LGBTQI+, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, minority ethnic populations, The Philippines, Myanmar, China, sexual humiliation, Sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, social protection support systems, gendered threats, harmful societal gender norms, societal gender norms, Indo-Pacific countries, structural state failures, state-based solutions, national security actors, gender-responsive security sector reform, security sector reform, SSR, gender-sensitive training, political instability, thailand, post-conflict state building, Solomon Islands, Australian Defence Force, gender-responsive practices, gender-sensitive practices, marginalised individuals, security needs, domestic security sector reform

Papua New Guinea: The new epicentre of the Pacific contest

Written by Thierry Lepani

As China and the US push for greater influence in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea has seemingly become the first port of call for the two nations to solidify their standing in the region.

Pacific9DLJune 19, 20239dashline, Papua New Guinea: The new epicentre of the Pacific contest, THIERRY LEPANI, Papua New Guinea, Pacific, Pacific islands, China, united states, PNG, Australia, global superpowers, Port Moresby, Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation, FIPIC, Pacific Island nations, India, Prime Minister Modi, US President Joe Biden, New Zealand, Quad, Japan, US-PNG Defense Cooperation Agreement, DCA, US-PNG relations, military cooperation, Anthony Albanese, Quad summit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US-Pacific Island Country Summit, Prime Minister James Marape, foreign policy, Chinese President Xi Jinping, APEC summit, Beijing, One-China policy, Connect PNG, Belt and Road Initiative, Asia Power Index 2023, Economic Relationships and Diplomatic Influence, protests, demonstrations, Washington, US military, security cooperation, bilateral relationship, PNG Defence Force, diplomacy, reciprocal visa arrangements, Asia-Pacific region, trade and investment, Blinken