This Issue Brief examines how the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) evolved from a regional strategic asset into an autonomous insurgent threat, fuelling a cycle of blame and instability between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Russia’s intensified strikes on Odessa highlight its bid to neutralise Ukraine’s maritime lifeline and assert dominance in the Black Sea. Rooted in historical claims and NATO security fears, Moscow’s campaign threatens Ukraine’s economy, global food security, and regional stability, while exposing the limits of international institutions.

This Issue Brief analyses the structural limitations of the Gulf security framework in light of Israel’s unprecedented attack in Doha on 9 September, targeting Palestinian Hamas leadership. While the attack marked a dangerous escalation of Tel Aviv’s regional adventurism, it also exposed the enduring structural weaknesses of the Gulf’s security architecture which has been defined by entrenched dependency on the United States.

This issue brief explores whether Pakistan can evolve from a traditional “security contractor” into West Asia’s net security stabiliser. The September 17, 2025, Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement marks a pivotal moment, formalising decades of military cooperation between the two countries. Historically, Pakistan has trained Gulf forces, guarded monarchies, and provided military personnel, often in transactional arrangements....

The Jatiya Nagorik Party (JNP)— born out of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) movement, that steered the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh— is seeking to break the decades-long dominance of the Awami League and BNP, and advocating for a Second Republic through constitutional reform and centrist, pluralist governance. As it navigates entrenched power structures and competing opposition forces, it faces both great promise and uncertain challenges in its quest to reshape the nation’s political future.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, balances economic ties with China while asserting its sovereignty amid tensions in the South China Sea. China's maritime claims and illegal fishing in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the....

The Issue Brief examines how Pakistan’s internal dynamics impact its cooperation with China, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), launched in 2015. It traces the evolution of Sino-Pak relations, highlighting their strategic....

The changing political and ideological environment in Bangladesh has significant consequences for its internal unity, the status of its minority groups, and its future relations with regional countries, especially India.

The first country that the newly elected President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake chose to visit was India like many of his predecessors, emphasising the special relationship the island nation has with India. However, in his case it was important because the party he hailed from had a historical ruse with India and was regarded as pro-China.

The Rohingya crisis, stemming from the persecution of the minority Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar in recent years, has garnered significant attention in India. The illegal migration of Rohingyas seeking refuge from Myanmar is increasingly viewed as a considerable security threat within India.