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

UNSC Resolution 2669 and the future of the Myanmar crisis

Written by Sadia Korobi

ASEAN members must realise that short-term economic benefits in Myanmar cannot overshadow the history of ineffective and unreliable military regimes in the country since independence.

In Conversation with Franziska Plümmer

9DASHLINE recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Franziska Plümmer about her insightful book Rethinking Authority in China’s Border Regime: Regulating the Irregular. Building on two case studies on the Sino-Myanmar and Sino-North Korean borders, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the Chinese border regime and how border politics are implemented.

Forum: The Rules-Based International Order in the Indo-Pacific

In recent years discussions among scholars, analysts, and policymakers have focused on the nature, transformation, and/or ostensible crisis of the rules-based international order. We invite three experts to offer differing perspectives on these ongoing debates in the context of the Indo-Pacific in this Forum for 9DASHLINE.

Emerging Issues9DLFebruary 8, 20239dashline, Forum: The Rules-Based International Order in the Indo-Pacific, rules-based international order, NON-ALIGNMENT, VAN JACKSON, Indo-Pacific, strategic non-alignment, Sri Lanka, Asian political economy, minor powers, sovereign debt, India, worker precarity, East Asian development model, global economic order, Sino-US competition, United States, China, spheres of influence, zero-sum, Indonesia, East Timor, Singapore, Pacific Island nations, Non-Aligned Movement. As great powers try to, great powers, Cold War, hedging, Third-World politics, FLEUR JOHNS, Multilateral, automated socio-technical systems, diplomacy, Automatic Identification System (AIS), mangrove forests, Indo-Pacific lionfish, ecology, GEORGE LAWSON, international order, Covid pandemic, war in Ukraine, costs of living, Western power, liberal, AUKUS, Taiwan, Myanmar, financial crisis

Two years after coup, Myanmar junta adapts to isolation

Written by Hunter Marston

Western aid is far away and will remain hostage to both Myanmar’s immediate neighbours, with whom they must coordinate, and broader concerns about security on the European continent, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will grip Western leaders’ attention for the foreseeable future.

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

In Brief: Perle Petit and Philip Lott, our new assistant editors

With a busy summer already behind them, our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Manali Kumar recently took the opportunity to learn more about their interests and their early thoughts on what makes a strong article.

In Brief9DLNovember 3, 20229DashLine, In Brief: Perle Petit and Philip Lott, our new assistant editors, Perle Petit, Philip Lott, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism, press freedom, freedom of the press, media freedom, Southeast Asia, democratic standards, independent media, journalists, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, The Philippines, elections, technologies, artificial intelligence, Indo-Pacific, digital transformation, social media, semiconductors, semiconductor supply chains, Pakistan, South Asia, separatist movements, Balochistan, US drone war, Kashmir conflict, Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, droughts, floods, health crisis, disinformation, Thailand, 'information chaos', foreign interference, propaganda, opposition parties, illiberal governments, opposition coalitions, city diplomacy, urban development, innovation hubs, population density, climate change mitigation

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.

South Asia9DLOctober 20, 20229DashLine, South Asia must proactively prepare to face climate change, Manali Kumar, South Asia, climate change, natural disaster, flood, flooding, Pakistan, humanitarian disaster, humanitarian crisis, health crisis, Bangladesh, Nepal, landslides, India, heatwave, heat wave, drought, Indo-Pacific, Africa, Europe, disaster-prone, hydrometeorological, storms, water scarcity, food insecurity, poverty, weather disaster, Asian Development Bank, cyclone Amphan, displacement, internal displacement, internal migration, sea level rise, climate migration, climate migrants, megapolises, Delhi, Mumbai, pollution, environmental degradation, cyclones, earthquakes, population growth, urbanisation, population density, disaster preparedness and relief, urban planning, urban development, local ecology, monsoon season, climate adaptive, resilient, multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanisms, regional cooperation, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Myanmar, IORA Action Plan 2017-2021, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment, Thimphu Statement on Climate Change, Inter-governmental Expert Group on Climate Change, United Nations, World Bank, relief, China, US, UK, EU, Germany, extreme climate events, GDP, COP27, Common But Differentiated Responsibility, Global South, 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), developed countries

The Milk Tea Alliance — an uphill battle against the authoritarian paradigm

Written by Roger Lee Huang

While the Milk Tea Alliance initially captured the imagination of global audiences, it has thus far been unable to consistently mobilise a critical mass to dislodge their respective authoritarian establishments.

Faultlines9DLOctober 10, 20229DashLine, Roger Lee Huang, The Milk Tea Alliance, an uphill battle against the authoritarian paradigm, Milk Tea Alliance, thailand, China, Facebook, Nancy Pelosi, meme, Netizens, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Protests, Taiwan, Burma, WhatsHappeningIn, Donald Trump, Hindu, Hindu nationalism, CCP, Chinese Communist Party, authoritarianism, democracy, Grey Zone, Grey Zone tactics, single-party state, military exercise, LGBT, LGBT+, WorldPride, InterPride, Thailand, repression, protests, Parinya Cheewinkulpathom, pro-democracy, monarchy, National Security Law, COVID-19, John Lee, Hong Kong extradition bill, media freedom, Social Media, Myanmar, coup, junta, Ko Jimmy, Phyo Zeya Thaw, activists, democratisation, Macquarie University, solidarity, The Milk Tea Alliance — an uphill battle against the authoritarian paradigm, Pelosi, netizens, #MilkTeaAlliance, Trump, LGBTIQ, COVID, Democratic Progressive Party

Six months on: Cambodia as ASEAN chair

Written by Kimkong Heng

Although there is speculation that US President Joe Biden will attend the East Asia Summit, will he be willing to sit for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin or his substitute? Cambodia will have to balance multiple pressures while hosting these high-level meetings.

When think-tanks get terrorism wrong: The IEP and Myanmar

Written by Georg Bauer

Such a reassessment of Myanmar must include a look at the military as its conduct much more fits the IEP’s own terrorism definition.

Marcos Jr.’s Philippine foreign policy: What it means for the Indo-Pacific

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

It is unlikely that Manila will join Washington in balancing against Beijing — Marcos Jr has already made this clear. Neither will the country bandwagon with Beijing given domestic pressures driven by fears over creeping Chinese influence.

Pacific9DLMay 13, 2022Marcos Jr.’s Philippine foreign policy: What it means for the Indo-Pacific, Joshua Bernard Espeña, Philippines, China, United States, US, Bongbong, Marcos Jr, Indo-Pacific, South China Sea, Cold War, Filipino, Rodrigo Duterte, Manila, Washington, Philippinedisation, Solomon Islands, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Taiwan, Quad, Australia, AUKUS, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Build Back Better World, Beijing, 2016 arbitral ruling, Association of the Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Code of Conduct, COC, ASEAN-China Code of Conduct, Chinese Coast Guard, International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, COLREGS, COVID-19, pandemic, Debt Trap, Sri Lanka, Hambantota Port, Ned Price, US State Department, Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, EDCA, People’s Liberation Army-Navy, International Development Security Cooperation, Rise of Philippinedization: Philippinedization

Thailand’s long-anticipated submarine deal hits yet another snag

Written by Zachary Abuza

Thailand’s submarine deal with China has been put on hold, not due to the public backlash, parliamentary scrutiny, or a lack of strategic rationale; the Gulf of Siam is too shallow for submarines to operate effectively. But since the military coup of 2014, the Thai military usually gets its way regardless of strategic rationale.

Realistic path forward: Malaysia’s call for rethinking the ASEAN-Myanmar ‘consensus’

Written by Bridget Welsh

Since 2018, Malaysian governments have been proactive in drawing attention to conditions within Myanmar, with the current foreign minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, and former foreign minister, Syed Hamid Albar, actively engaged in seeking solutions to the crisis.

In Conversation: James Borton on 'Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground'

9DASHLINE recently sat down with James Borton to discuss his fascinating new book Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground, in which he argues that the South China Sea can become a body of water that unites, rather than divides.

As the focus on Myanmar fades Ukraine takes the spotlight

Written by Kristina Kironska

The military regime is worried that the Russian supply of hardware to Myanmar could slow down as it is now needed elsewhere. Moreover, Western financial sanctions on Russia are worrying for the junta as many generals and Myanmar’s arms dealers have bank accounts in Russia.

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.

With ASEAN Snub, Myanmar junta signals return to Cold War isolationism

Written by Hunter Marston

The junta knows it needs the support of Moscow and Beijing in the UN Security Council to prevent international action such as an arms embargo, which has failed to pass given their veto powers.