Indo-Pacific

Engaging the Pacific Islands is no longer about the why, but about the how

By Marie Jourdain, Charles Lichfield

Over the past year, US and European engagement in the South Pacific has noticeably accelerated. Wooing these islands away from Chinese influence is clearly a priority but there are many dimensions to this.

Our guide to friend-shoring: Sectors to watch

By Hung Tran

This article aims to document the progress, potential, limits, and implications of friend-shoring, focusing on five key sectors.

AC Selects: China’s 20th Party Congress, the Indo-Pacific theatre & the intelligence community

The Forward Defense Initiative hosts three separate events discussing the uncertain Naval security environment, how the United States can maintain a credible deterrent against China in the next decade, and intelligence reform.

State capacity and support for the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan

By Federico Masera & Hasin Yousaf

Violent, criminal, and terrorist organizations’ functioning and success often rely on the support of the population in which they operate. Some scholars have hypothesized that to gain and maintain this vital support, violent organizations engage in the provision of goods and services.

Dual circulation in China: A progress report

By Hung Tran

Faced with a challenging international environment and hostile efforts by the United States to restrict China’s access to high technology and its products, China has adopted a dual circulation strategy to make its economy more balanced and resilient. Dual circulation means reducing the role of foreign trade in driving the Chinese economy while improving the quality of trade.

US National Security Strategy: Takeaways for Pakistan

By Syed Ali Zia Jaffery

To ignore Washington's new National Security Strategy just because it does not mention Pakistan would be incredibly shortsighted for Islamabad, primarily because whatever the United States plans to do—directly and indirectly—will affect it.