Two years of the Russia-Ukraine war and six months of the Israel-Hamas conflict are now followed ominously by Iran’s unprecedented airborne attack on Israel. With West Asia facing the prospect of a major regional conflagration, these developments seemingly robbed the Indo-Pacific region of some of its salience. But despite the ongoing armed confrontations in Europe and West Asia, international attention remains pivoted to the complex power dynamics in East Asia. This is so partly due to China's frequent and coercive read more

There has been an upsurge in armed attacks in Pakistan’s restive provinces over the past few weeks, with three high profile attacks in the second half of March. On 20 March, armed men attacked the Gwadar Port Authority Colony in Gwadar, Balochistan. The Gwadar port is being developed as a part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a key part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. On 25 March, the Pakistani military claimed to have foiled an attack on read more

In December 2023, Indian Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, visited Moscow, where he met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. As part of the visit, at the request of the Indian side, a meeting was organised between Jaishankar and a group of leading Russian foreign affairs experts. This initiative was a new and non-standard step in Russia-India relations. Typically, ministerial visits are limited to official negotiations. The meeting itself also began with a seemingly mundane, but remarkable, detail. In the place read more

The spot in front of the massive iron grill gates of the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, is unique. A few feet away to the east is the border with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. To the west is Nepal, further east is Bhutan. The point at which China and India meet is divided by the famous barbed wire leading to a rock, a reminder of the 1967 battle between the two armies. Sentries stand at the two check-posts. At 14,140 read more