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Trump-Xi Jinping Meeting
From Assertion to Deference: How the Iran War and Shifting Power Dynamics Redefined Trump’s China Visit


Imran Khurshid

The visit was defined more by symbolism than substance, where Beijing projected confidence while Washington appeared strategically constrained. The Trump–Xi meeting in Beijing highlighted shifting power dynamics, with China setting the terms of engagement across key geopolitical issues.

Indian-Pakistan
Terrorism, Trust, and India-Pakistan Relations: Peace Remain Elusive


Afroz Khan

Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism has pushed India toward aggressive, kinetic retaliation, weakening Islamabad's nuclear deterrence and making genuine bilateral rapprochement impossible without visible, credible actions against extremist networks.

USA-India
Divided Commands and Fragmented Lenses: Reconciling American Regional Policy with Indian Interests


Imran Khurshid

US regional strategy operates through fragmented command structures that elevate India and Pakistan in different theatres, producing enduring contradictions. These structural inconsistencies continue to shape—and often complicate—India’s security calculus in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

Issue Briefs

NCP
From Protest to Power: Can JNP reshape Bangladesh’s Political Future?


Mohmad Waseem Malla, Faiza Rizwan

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-china
Indonesia’s Balancing Act : Between Contestation and Cooperation with China


Mohmad Waseem Malla, Durdhana Haq

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....

Pakistan-China
Impact of Pakistan’s Internal Dynamics on China-Pakistan Cooperation


Mohmad Waseem Malla, Kazima Zargar

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....