Going global: Beijing’s bid to rewrite the rules of international security

Written by Sam Bresnick

If Beijing succeeds in impelling Global Security Initiative partners to revise existing security norms and arrangements (certainly a big ‘if’), the United States and its allies could find themselves increasingly constrained.

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India at 75 — Still a postcolonial poster child for democracy?

Written by Manali Kumar

Although unique in its particular causes, India’s democratic backsliding is part of a global trend. Like other polities, India too needs new ideas if it is to overcome this divisive, fascist turn in its politics.

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Extraditions and legal cooperation: The next frontier in Taiwan’s outreach to Europe?

Written by Matej Šimalčík

Extraditions and legal cooperation in criminal matters have emerged as a new frontier for Taiwan-Europe relations. For a more robust relationship, Taiwan and Europe should strive to include the civil and commercial dimensions in their negotiations on legal cooperation.

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The China-Russia ‘no-limits’ friendship in full swing

Written by Justyna Szczudlik

Possible concessions from China would neither be cost- and condition-free, nor change the nature of Beijing-Moscow ties. The best way for the West to deal with the China-Russia alignment is to acknowledge that these bonds are strong and to improve its own resilience and deterrence capacities.

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Competition and cooperation: India and China in the global climate regime

Written by Miriam Prys-Hansen and Simon Kaack

The need to cooperate in matters of climate change requires partnerships among states, such as India and China, that in other contexts are competitors — if not rivals. This simultaneity of cooperation and competition is one of the key features of the emerging multipolar order and should take centre stage in both policy and academic research.

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Will friction over Taiwan spark a US-China war?

Written by Rorry Daniels

Although there is an optimistic case to make that Taiwan is not the kindling for a great power ‘bonfire’, the tenuous bargain that has protected cross-Taiwan Strait peace and stability for 40 years is under intensified threat and requires mindful attention to preserve the peace in US-China and cross-Strait relations.

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Sri Lanka’s political-economic crisis and its new president

Written by Asanga Abeyagoonasekera

While internal political maturity is required to emerge from the political-economic crisis with objective policy measures, Sri Lanka needs immediate regional and extra-regional assistance to help the country stabilise through the existing political model or through democratic elections in the coming months.

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Is Sino-European cooperation on counter-terrorism possible in the near future?

Written by Chi Zhang, Jilong Yang and Xuechen Chen

The outlook for Sino-European cooperation on counter-terrorism depends heavily on the political wisdom and open-mindedness of both actors.

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The People’s Liberation Army: Xi’s power base in the Communist Party Central Committee

Written by Manoj Kewalramani and Megha Pardhi

Ahead of the 20th Party Congress, and given the importance of the military in solidifying the CCP’s power, tracking changes in the representation of the People's Liberation Army in the Party Central Committee is important to understand Xi Jinping’s power base.

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The US should prioritise the Indo-Pacific over Ukraine, but the clash of interests should not be overstated

Written by Áine Cooke

The US must ensure that it remains competitive by enhancing its military capabilities to deter an invasion of Taiwan, as well as by extending its diplomatic reach to counter China’s extensive regional engagement, and by formulating a comprehensive economic and climate policy.

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Bangladesh’s manoeuvring of climate change geopolitics

Written by Rudabeh Shahid and Sirazoom Munira

For the realisation of the Paris climate goals, it is imperative for Bangladesh to explore the possibilities of new pathways to achieve national targets.

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EU-Taiwan ties: Towards resilient global value chains

Written by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy

Addressing strategic dependencies and increasing resilience in the face of an assertive China by expanding cooperation with Taiwan has become a more sustainable path in the perception of many in Brussels.

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Energy interdependence is here to stay

Written by James Bowen

The timing is currently ideal for democracies to accelerate clean energy cooperation and ensure more benign future relations among themselves and the wider world.

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In Conversation: Ramon Pacheco Pardo on 'Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop'

9DASHLINE recently engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with Dr Ramon Pacheco Pardo about his fascinating new book ‘Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop’, which charts the incredible rise of South Korea, from colonisation and civil war to the thriving nation it is today.

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US efforts to strengthen collective defence in Europe won’t come free for Asia

Written by Tom Corben

What will frustrate many in Asia is that the urgency evident in these new US commitments to collective defence in Europe is yet to be mirrored in parallel efforts in the Indo-Pacific.

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Xi’s Global Security Initiative in the time of Putin’s war

Written by Eva Seiwert

Considering that Western states will not be able to prevent other countries from supporting the Global Security Initiative, they should at least use this new Chinese proposal as a wake-up call.

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Thailand breaks away from Southeast Asia’s brutally punitive drug policies

Written by Gloria Lai

In a region still marked by extremely cruel and inhumane responses to people engaged in drug-related activities, the reforms to Thailand’s criminal justice, health and economic systems resulting from the series of drug law changes represent a welcome change.

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Counter-polarisation and political expediency in Indonesia

Written by Greg Fealy, Sally White, and Burhanuddin Muhtadi

If we place the 2021 survey results beside data from other credible surveys over the past decade, it is possible to conclude that the high point of polarisation occurred during and between the 2014 and 2019 elections, but has since declined.

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