Charting Afghanistan’s economic future: Recommendations for reform

Written by Hamayun Khan

For the Taliban, addressing banking constraints and promoting financial transparency are essential for rebuilding trust and attracting investment.

Editor's Picks9DLJuly 1, 20249DASHLINE, Hamayun Khan, Charting Afghanistan’s economic future: Recommendations for reform, South Asian Voices, Taliban, Afghanistan, Pakistan, UNDP, Turkmenistan, TAPI, Asian Development Bank

Manila is shopping, not re-aligning

Written by Drake Long

Rather than celebrating each time a country publicly cancels a Chinese project, the US, Australia, the EU, and other nations competing for influence at the expense of Beijing should keep in mind the wider picture — Manila and other capitals like it are shopping around for alternatives.

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Sri Lanka gradually returns to macroeconomic stability, but risks remain

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.

South Asia9DLSeptember 25, 20239dashline, Sri Lanka gradually returns to macroeconomic stability, but risks remain, Anjali Hewapathage, Thilina Panduwawala, Sri Lanka, macroeconomic stability, IMF, Extended Fund Facility, EFF, domestic debt restructuring, DDR, domestic creditors, rupee, central bank, superannuation retirement funds, domestic banking system, private sector bond investors, interest rates, monetary easing, inflation, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, statutory reserve, economic recovery, economic growth, import restrictions, foreign exchange, tourism, inward remittances, revenue targets, expenditure targets, fiscal targets, fund disbursements, tax revenues, GDP ratio, pay-as-you-earn, PAYE, withholding taxes, tax revenue, property tax, wealth tax, revenue collection, tax collection authorities, interest expenditures, multilateral organisations, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, domestic financing, foreign exchange reserves, state-owned enterprises, SOEs, fiscal expenditure, cost-reflective energy reforms, SOE privatisation, Petroleum sector, Petroleum sector liberalisations, United Petroleum, RM Parks, Shell, economic ambition, IMF-backed reform agenda, reform agenda, superannuation funds, debt restructuring, cost of living crisis, costs of living, national elections, lagging economic recovery, private sector, high interest rates, bank loans, banking sector, non-performing loans, economic risks, El Niño phenomenon, South Asia, crude oil imports, hydroelectric power, economic volatility, climate risks, low-income households, social safety nets, social welfare, Sri Lankan economy, external debt repayments, external financing, restructured debt repayments, debt repayments, Sri Lanka gradually returns to macroeconomic stability but risks remain

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.

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Climate displacement in South Asia and India’s imperative to act

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.

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How and why Japan can be an alternative to China in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Kyoko Hatakeyama

Moreover, since Japan has maintained a stable relationship with China — despite their territorial disputes — the region does not have to worry about backlash or anger from China just because they choose Japan over China.

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China, transnational organised crime, and Southeast Asia’s SEZs — is this Quid pro quo?

Written by Marco Neveu and Charlie Thame

Xi’s anti-corruption projects in the mainland seem to have sparked a degree of outward mobility by the triads from the authoritarian domestic core towards the more liminal and experimental periphery of Chinese influence.

Faultlines9DLNovember 11, 20229DashLine, China, transnational organised crime, and Southeast Asia’s SEZs: Quid pro quo?, Marco Neveu, Charlie Thame, crime, Southeast Asia, Radio Free Asia, Laos, Malaysian workers, Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ), enclave, Laotian, Chinese, Hong Kong, Kings Roman Group, torture, slavery, Sexual Slavery, online scam, Special Economic Zone, ASEAN, organised crime, transnational organised criminal (TOC), UNODC, global supply chains, trafficking, human trafficking, corruption, Thai, Thailand, neo-colonialist, exploitation, Sexual exploitation, economic development, FDI, Xi Jinping, authoritarian, Cold War, Truman administration, United Nations, UN, Bretton Woods institutions, Asian Development Bank, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Sihanoukville SEZ, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, scam, China’s Ministry of Commerce, Overseas Trade and Cooperation, Myanmar, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), state-owned enterprises, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), triad, triads, Han nationalist, secret societies, Qing dynasty, Kuomintang (KMT), Bamboo Union, Chang An-lo, Taiwan, anti-corruption campaign, gangs, spies, Intelligence, patriotism, Americas, Beijing, Chang An-lo (“White Wolf”), Wan Kuok-koi (“Broken Tooth”), Zhao Wei, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, diplomacy, police, crime syndicate, Hun Sen, APEC 2022 forum, APEC

More of the same is not the answer to building influence in the Pacific

Written by Meg Taylor DBE and Soli Middleby

While all nations share an interest in promoting a peaceful, safe, and prosperous region, the independent Pacific states do not necessarily share the same geostrategic perspectives as the large powerful economies of the industrialised West.

Pacific9DLOctober 21, 20229DashLine, More of the same is not the answer to build influence in the Pacific, Meg Taylor, Soli Middleby, Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Pacific interests, geostrategic perspectives, independent Pacific states, West, industrialised West, climate change, non-renewable energy sources, exploration permits, climate adaptation finance, Pacific Resilience Facility, Green Climate Fund, China, sovereignty, Chinese investments, AUKUS, Indo-Pacific strategy, Partners in the Blue Pacific, Indopacific priorities, foreign aid, Western aid paradigm, Chinese-built infrastructure, Asian Development Bank, Papua New Guinea, Japan, United States, India, aid projects, geopolitical competition, Pacific Islands Forum, regional processes, Pacific priorities, Western aid, Chinese aid, aid intermediaries, international organisations, international financial institutions, multinational companies, independent aid agency, Chinese financiers

South Asia must proactively prepare to face climate change

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.

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Sri Lanka’s economic crisis: A new regime, politics at play?

Written by Neha Gupta and Guido Cozzi

It is often observed that the dismal performance of a country on socio-economic-political indicators is indicative of the value extracting role of elites in that country and vice versa for the value contributing elites.

ASEAN leads the Indo-Pacific climate response

Written by Clare Richardson-Barlow

The Indo-Pacific region includes several of the world’s largest polluters as well as leaders in renewable energy use and innovative policy solutions to climate and environmental challenges. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) presents great potential for regional responses to the global climate change challenge.

Pakistan’s drift towards China: maintaining neutrality amid great power competition

Written by Namra Naseer

So far, Pakistan has not been the main arena of US-China competition. It need not become so, specifically if the country takes effective steps to improve bilateral relations with the United States and retain its autonomy in the growing ties with China.

President Biden’s welcome return to Asian multilateralism

Written by Susannah Patton

The President’s positive statement at least opens the door for US allies and partners to put forward their views on US regional economic engagement. The United States’ offer to host APEC in 2023 should give high-level impetus for the development of this economic framework.

Sri Lanka: Navigating geopolitics, regional asymmetry, and a national crisis

Written by Nilanthi Samaranayake

Outreach to address COVID-19 economic distress perpetuates the inaccurate perception that Sri Lanka is heavily indebted to China and is therefore prone to advancing Beijing’s geostrategic ambitions.

In Conversation: Chris Ogden on China and India

Chris Ogden is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Asian Security at the University of St Andrews. His book China and India: Asia's Emergent Great Powers was published in April 2017.