SOUTH ASIA
Written by Mae Chow and Shakthi De Silva
Ultimately, Bangladesh's ability to maintain constructive engagements with China and India will not only shape its own future trajectory but also contribute significantly to the stability and prosperity of the broader Indo-Pacific region.
Written by Lea Thome
The Maldives finds itself caught in a tug-of-war between India and China. However, Malé under Muizzu’s presidency has shown increasing openness towards China as it strives to navigate the balance between the two countries and maintain its own sovereignty.
Written by Soraya Kishtwari
As there is no clear legal framework whereby governments or international bodies are able to categorise and process migrants displaced by climate change, many struggle in legal limbo.
Written by Syed Ali Zia Jaffery
Lacking confidence and bandwidth, Pakistan’s new government is unlikely to prioritise improving ties with India. If anything, India will be way down the pecking order of its policy actions.
Written by Varuna Shankar
Japan provides the opportunity for Sri Lanka to reduce its dependence on China for economic reform, while Sri Lanka provides Japan an opening to penetrate deeper into the South Asian market.
Written by Dr Filippo Boni
Pakistan is scheduled to hold its twelfth general election on 8 February, amid a deteriorating security situation in parts of the country, allegations of an uneven playing field against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, and with China and the United States waiting to find out who will lead the next Pakistani government.
Written by Michael Kugelman
Ultimately, like any democratic leader, Muizzu will need to walk a tightrope between foreign policy imperatives and domestic political considerations. A balancing policy abroad will also require one at home.
Written by Dr Mohd Tahir
The post-Article 370 political landscape shifted political discourse within Kashmir from one of self-rule to development. While this shift is a matter of political expediency for local leaders in the context of the restrictive political environment, it has also opened a window of opportunity for many emerging young Kashmiri leaders.
Written by Eve Register
It will be important for BIMSTEC to learn from the mistakes of the BRI if it is to work as a viable alternative for countries in the Bay of Bengal region.
By Dr Claude Rakisits
All in all, the expulsion en masse of the Afghan refugees will make things worse, bilaterally, and quite possibly, regionally. Certainly, no one’s security will improve; if anything, it will further destabilise Afghanistan already tottering on the brink of collapse.
Written by Tobias Scholz
The recent enhancement of security dialogues and mechanisms will continue to look inward by building trust, resilience, and capacity among BIMSTEC partners.
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”.
Written by Anjali Hewapathage and Thilina Panduwawala
It may be true that Sri Lanka is on a path of economic recovery, but, despite the ambition and compliance to continue growth, it might prove challenging as risk factors play out both locally and globally.
Written by Vedant Saigal
In the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020, the Indian Navy used two MQ-9 SeaGuardian drones to keep an eye on Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean Region.
Written by Dr Vivek Mishra
To effectively counter threats from both China and Pakistan, India needs to maintain a twin-domain focus, enhancing its capabilities in both the continental and maritime domains.
Written by Syed Ali Zia Jaffery
The crisis can only end if the government realises that preventing people from exercising their right to vote will be counterproductive going forward.
Written by Nashalie De Silva and Thilina Panduwawala
It will be crucial to communicate the need for these tough reforms to voters and ensure that they benefit from the economic recovery.
Written by Bhumika Sharma
Given the lack of international consensus, a unique opportunity exists for India to address the protection gap in South Asia’s policy regime for climate migrants.
Written by Pranesh HP
India ought to ensure that it does not lose domestic integrity to corporate influence while chasing economic goals abroad, creating negative downstream implications for its foreign policy.
Written by Marcus Andreopoulos
Out of office, Khan is proving to be a relentless source of pressure, first for Bajwa and now for Munir. Khan has accused the military of holding the country back during a time of economic and humanitarian catastrophe.
9DASHLINE asks several experts how they assess the prospects for political and economic recovery in 2023 after the turbulence of last year.
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.
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”.
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.
Written by Asad Ejaz Butt
While Pakistan does not have any alternate short-term options other than returning to the IMF, it can consider structural reforms, like targeted subsidies and rationalisation of current expenditure through fiscal prudence and better management of state resources.
Written by Deep Pal
For locals as well as security agencies, the current ceasefire, without resolving underlying issues, is temporary at best. This is evident in the fact that in over 18 months without CFVs, permanent security structures along the border have not been dismantled.
Written by Ali Riaz
The escalating face-off between the Bangladeshi government and the opposition will likely lead to heightened violence in the coming months, further persecution of critics by the government, and the potential weakening of the ruling party’s grip over the situation.
Written by Marina Rudyak
Precisely because China is the world’s largest bilateral creditor, and many of its borrowers face the risk of excessive debt, it matters to get things right in the analysis of lender-borrower relations.
Written by Apoorva Jain
South Asia is increasingly facing threats from natural, technological, and complex disasters. Meanwhile, coordination failure is turning natural disasters into catastrophes. Disaster aid and relief can be an effective diplomatic tool in the region.
Written by Manali Kumar
South Asian countries would do well to finally set aside their mutual animosities and start developing transnational and regional mechanisms to adapt to climate change and recover from disasters.