India has unfriendly neighbours and yet there is hardly a significant external threat since the 1999 Kargil war involving Pakistan. What is dubbed as the biggest internal security threat to India is the left-wing-extremist movement that has spread to the majority of the Indian provinces in...

This article investigates the underlying causes for the persistency of the India–Pakistan conflict and, on this basis, the chances and obstacles of the bilateral composite dialogue initiated in 2004. In particular, it wants to provide a theoretically grounded account of the factors that...

Attempts to stay engaged in a process of sustained dialogue and achieve incremental progress towards peace by the Indian and Pakistani political leadership suffered another setback in the form of cross-border firing and allegations of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the...

Australia’s foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific region is primarily driven by self-interest. Australian prime ministers, foreign ministers, diplomats and other political leaders have asserted on various occasions that their goal in the region has always been to promote...

The United States (US) and Pakistan developed a relationship during the Musharraf era of simultaneous cooperation and coercion against each other. Pakistan helped both the US and the Taliban in their war in Afghanistan. The US aided and reimbursed Pakistan, but also violated its sovereignty on a...

The fall of the Taliban in 2001 presented Iran with a complex strategic situation. On the one hand, the removal of the Taliban promised to open up new opportunities for Iran to expand its influence, based on historical and cultural ties between Iran and Afghanistan. On the other hand, the 2001...

In recent years, Maoist insurgents in the Philippines have intensified their extortion activities through ‘revolutionary taxation’ and through the collection of ‘permit to campaign’/‘permit to win’ (PTC/PTW) fees during elections. This article examines why...

China’s rapid military modernization has elicited a variety of responses from governments in the region. This article looks at the responses from Australia and two ASEAN states: Indonesia and Singapore. These states have been chosen because they have little or no territorial disputes with...

The Indian Ocean is increasingly playing an important role in Chinese efforts to establish a position as a leading maritime power in the region. And this is resulting in Sino-Indian competition for influence in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Despite a significant improvement in Sino-Indian ties...