A balancing act: COP28 and China’s critical role in the international climate crisis

Written by Taylah Bland

Despite China’s continued strengthening of its domestic climate agenda, it needs to take the same approach to its leadership in the international arena.

What the presidential election tells us about Singaporean politics

Written by Dr Walid Jumblatt Abdullah

Will the presidential election results translate into the general elections in 2025? Probably not, since Tharman is indeed an exception. But the ruling PAP can take heart from the results for reasons already mentioned.

Fukushima’s waters: discharge decision, politics, and nuclear safety standards

Written by Shivani Singh and Chetan Rana

The fact that different states in the region, despite being exposed to similar risks, are not aligned in either supporting or protesting Japan’s decision is an indicator of the divisions being caused by the great power politics at play.

Faultlines9DLOctober 20, 2023Fukushima’s waters: discharge decision, politics, and standards of nuclear safety, 9dashline, Chetan Rana, Shivani Singh, Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear technology, Fukushima nuclear plant, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, discharge water, Japan, Fukushima disaster, nuclear accidents, Indo-Pacific, Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami, nuclear reactor, core meltdown, radioactive materials, safety culture, nuclear industry, seismic, reform, earthquake preparedness, seismic designs, nuclear facilities, phenomena, plant operators, Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO, Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, NISA, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, METI, mismanagement, safety inspections, power plant, international standards, commercial power reactors, Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Ministry of the Environment, disaster management, radioactive water, contaminated water, Fukushima reactors, ocean, Natural Resources and Energy, laws on nuclear safety, natural hazards, natural disasters, operational negligence, lax regulatory oversight, man-made disaster, China, Russia, North Korea, Sino-American great power competition, Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, ecological concerns, economic concerns, atomic tests, Runit Dome, US nuclear tests, Yoon Suk Yeol, Taiwan, Philippines, Cook Islands, Advanced Liquid Processing System, carbon-14, tritium, dilution, WHO, National Association of Marine Laboratories, NAML, UNCLOS, Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy, Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, Convention on Nuclear Safety, CNS, earthquake, and nuclear safety standards, Pacific

The Kim-Putin summit: thrusting Russia-US tensions into Northeast Asia

Written by Anthony V. Rinna

From a longer-term perspective, the summit between Kim and Putin could also thrust Moscow-Washington tensions into the Asia-Pacific in ways not seen since the Cold War.

How does the Philippines make sense of future warfare?

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

Philippine political leaders must carefully understand what multidomain warfare implies for national security; military leaders must do what they can to show the risks of not understanding it.

In Conversation with Kate Cronin-Furman

9DASHLINE recently sat down with Dr Kate Cronin-Furman to discuss her important new book Hypocrisy and Human Rights: Resisting Accountability for Mass Atrocities.

The book investigates the diverse ways in which repressive regimes respond to calls for justice and accountability and argues that international pressure can produce valuable results through indirect paths.

In Conversation9DLOctober 17, 20239dashline, Kate Cronin-Furman, In Conversation, In Conversation with Kate Cronin-Furman, Hypocrisy and Human Rights: Resisting Accountability for Mass Atrocities, repression, regime, justice, accountability, human rights, noncompliance, international human rights pressure, quasi-compliance, UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), multilateral, human rights enforcement, US, UK, Western human rights enforcement efforts, Sri Lanka, civil war, mass atrocities, NGOs, UN Human Rights Council, peer states, ethnic majoritarian democracy, marginalised communities, Tamil, civilian, military, Sinhalese, Burmese Rohingya, ohingya, Rohingya, minority, counter-terrorism, national security, India, China, International Criminal Court, sanctions, war criminals, war crimes, reputational, transitional justice, international human rights norms, racism, islamophobia, media, Ukraine, Russia’s invasion, victims, audiences

Chartering a course for peace: EU-Philippines maritime security cooperation

Written by Daniela Braun, Marie Antoinette de Jesus, and Sophiya Navarro

Increasing EU-Philippine maritime security cooperation is a positive development that reflects both actors’ mutual interests and values, as well as their willingness to engage with each other and other Indo-Pacific actors.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLOctober 13, 20239dashline, Chartering a course for peace: EU-Philippines maritime security cooperation, EU, Philippines, European Union, European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Manila, Brussels, diplomatic relations, trade relations, trade exports, climate change, digital economy, connectivity, infrastructure, China, Beijing, Chinese aggression, South China Sea, Indo-Pacific, maritime disputes, Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, geopolitical significance, intensifying competition, US, Washington, Russia-Ukraine war, geopolitics, global economy, Russian oil and gas, maritime security cooperation, maritime security, EU-Philippine, Bongbong, Marcos, Jr., Rodrigo Duterte, ASEAN Coordinator for Dialogue Relations with the EU, security cooperation, EU-Philippines Joint Committee Meeting, ocean governance, maritime issues, blue economy, CRIMARIO, Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean, maritime domain awareness, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, National Coast Watch Council Center, ASEAN, Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing Platform, IORIS, Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia, ESIWA, multilateralism, rules-based order, maritime security partnership, Arbitral Ruling, 2016 arbitral ruling, US State Department, navigation freedoms, flight freedoms, EU Delegation in Manila, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, von der Leyen, defence assistance, threat assessments

Hold on tight! The US, Indo-Pacific, and expectations for a second Trump term

Written by Blake H. Berger

If Trump prevails in the 2024 election, and if his first term indicates what the region can expect from a second one, hold tight because it will get ugly.

The strawman defence is torching Taiwan’s military

Written by Michael Lostumbo

Taiwan should assess its existing force and all future investments and evaluate them from the lens of their warfighting potential, which should be the primary focus for their military.

Balancing on fumes: What drives France in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Dylan Motin

France’s Indo-Pacific strategy mainly arises from the fear of China. Despite French official discourse, it is clearly on the American side of the containment fence and will remain there for the foreseeable future.

Evaluating South Korea's democratic backsliding

Written by Dr Mi-son Kim

The current state of South Korean politics suggests that the country is at a critical moment that could determine its fate: democratic backsliding or consolidation.

East Asia9DLOctober 9, 20239dashline, Evaluating South Korea's democratic backsliding, Dr Mi-son Kim, Park Geun-hye, South Korea, impeachment, abuse of power, corruption, Constitutional Court of Korea, candlelight protests, protests, demonstrations, democratic consolidation, President Park, partisan polarisation, concentration of power, Moon Jae-in, Yoon Suk-yeol, weak legislature, Park administration, opposition parties, Labour Reform Act, Service Industry Development Act, bipartisan bill, National Assembly Act, Saenuri Party, democratic transition, veto, Yoo Seung-min, cabinet appointments, presidential impeachment, Democratic Party, Supreme Prosecutor, Korean presidents, National Intelligence Service, Yoon administration, Han Dong-hoon, Park Geun-hye administration, personalist political systems, Kaesong Industrial Complex, North Korea, nuclear, US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, Sewol ferry, Japan, hyper-partisan, hostile rhetoric, Lee Myung-bak, coercive state apparatuses, Board of Audit and Inspection, Anything but Moon (ABM), political volatility, democratic backsliding

Join us to foster informed discussions and bridge the gap between Europe and the Indo-Pacific

Calling scholars and analysts working on the Indo-Pacific – we are interested in your insights and ideas.

Join our growing network of international experts and help us shape the narrative around the world’s geopolitical centre of gravity.

News9DLOctober 6, 20239dashline, Indo-Pacific, Europe

Strategic competition in the South Pacific and its implications for New Zealand

Written by Dr Reuben Steff

While China’s activities are concerning, it should be made clear to Beijing that NZ’s and others’ responses in the security sphere are dependent on China’s approach to the region.

Zhuozhou flooding: Systemic shifts needed to counter the sacrificing of populations

Written by Dr Julia Teebken and Jiachang Tu

The sacrificing of certain parts of a population is not limited to China and is happening across the world already, which makes addressing underlying structural issues a global concern.

Editor's Picks9DLOctober 3, 20239dashline, Zhuozhou flooding: Systemic shifts needed to counter the sacrificing of populations, JULIA TEEBKEN, Jiachang Tu, extreme weather events, China, heat, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, flooding, flood, Zhuozhou, flood retention, Hebei Party Secretary Ni Yuefeng, social media, protest, flood protection, climate adaptation, Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), National Retention Basin Master Planning (NRBMP), retention basin areas, Xiaoqinghe, 2021 floods in Henan, Henan, natural hazard event, maladaptation, second National Adaptation Strategy (NAS II), climate resilience, urban-rural, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), 1980s Water Law, Flood Management Law, provincial and municipal governments, flood risk management, hongtouwenjian, Baoding, technocratic, policy incrementalism, inequalities, climate change, land development, urban expansion, sociopolitical tensions, 1998 mega-flood, urbanisation, water flow regulation services, flood regulation services, reservoirs, dams, population density, Haihe River, Ecosystem Function Conservation Areas (EFCAS), disaster risk reduction, hukou, urban, peri-urban, and rural regions, Julia Teebken

Running from China: China’s youth dream of leaving

Written by Dr Franziska Plümmer

The risks of brain drain and demographic change are looming over the heads of Beijing’s policymakers and business leaders, who are also increasingly incentivising Chinese students to come back from abroad.

Emerging Issues9DLOctober 2, 2023Franziska Plümmer, Dr Franziska Plümmer, Running from China: China’s youth dream of leaving, 9dashline, refugees, China, zero-Covid measures, US, asylum, Canada, Australia, Latin America, pandemic, Chinese emigration, migration, Xi Jinping, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, human rights activists, religious practitioners, exit bans, run-ology, White Paper Protests, lockdowns, travel restrictions, social control, under 40, Chinese society, discrimination, ageism, three-child policy, quiet quitting, neijuan 内卷, tangping 躺平, social media, Chinese netizens, runxue 润学, WeChat, emigrating, United States DIY, Southeast Asia, Colombia, Panama, censorship, brain drain, demographics, anti-emigration discourse, Chinese diaspora, workforce, national rejuvenation, dream of national rejuvenation, passport, 2023 Anti-Espionage Law, espionage, Safeguard Defenders, hostage diplomacy, hukou

A looming challenge: Women in Pakistan’s terrorism landscape

Written by Dr Amira Jadoon and Iqraa Bukhari

A shift towards utilising female fighters for pragmatic reasons would not be without precedent, as evidenced in case studies of Boko Haram or Islamic State affiliates in Southeast Asia. Pakistan, in particular, presents a largely “untapped female operative market”.

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Women in West Papua: Broken promises and survivance sovereignty

Written by Camellia Webb-Gannon and Elvira Rumkabu

It is imperative that women’s survivance work and decolonisation goals in West Papua be acknowledged in any future liberation-oriented promises made to West Papuans, and that West Papuan women are recognised as central actors in determining their own futures.

Is the South Korea-Japan-US summit a breakthrough?

Written by Abhishek Sharma

The trilateral summit is a stepping stone towards countering the DPRK and strengthening regional security; however, its success will only be judged in the face of changing politics in the respective capitals.