South and Central Asia
Kazakhstan: A new dawn?
Kazakhstan’s leader Nazarbayev resigned from the Presidency after 3 decades to become Chairman of the Security Council and leader of the ruling party.
Between a Bear and a Dragon: New challenges for Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbayev is stepping down. This exposes the new leader to challenges of balancing Kazakh interests between China & Russia
Sino-Russian alignment in reality: The case of Central Asia
This article presents an assessment of what the Sino-Russian relationship mean for Central Asia and the United States, in the short and long term.
The India-Taiwan Treaty: India’s gateway to a knowledge economy
India and Taiwan’s bilateral investment treaty presents a great insensitive for India to develop its human capital and transition into a knowledge economy.
Myanmar is set to embrace Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative
After years of interrupted progression with Chinese-backed projects the Myanmar government has agreed to speed up progress. This signals that relations between China and Myanmar are good and that Myanmar is seeking for the foreign investments it needs to improve its economy.
Sri Lanka: economic and political fragility
The Sri Lankan democracy has recently been burdened by a presidential coup. President Sirisena has overstepped his constitutional limits to sack the sitting Prime Minister and unilaterally appoint a new one. Instead of seeking parliament’s approval, he dissolved the House and announced snap elections for January 2019.
Default of IL&FS sends shockwaves through India’s financial markets
A series of defaults by India’s key infrastructure lender, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), has sparked fears about the health of other non-bank lenders and led to a squeeze in India’s corporate debt market that these lenders have relied upon.
Maldives presidential election 2018: implications for India and China
This article examines the geopolitical implications of the outcome of the 2018 Presidential Elections in Maldives on India and China, arguing that the power balance between the Asian giants is likely to tilt towards India.
The curious case of Pakistan’s democracy
This article examines military influence in Pakistani democracy and highlights problems Imran Khan might face in implementing changes. The actions of the newly elected Prime Minister will have security and economic consequences at home and in the region.
The Energy Briefing: Despite Caspian Sea agreement, obstacles to Trans-Caspian pipeline remain
On August 12, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan reached an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. In particular, the treaty removes a legal barrier to building a Trans-Caspian gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Europe. However, several obstacles to the construction of the pipeline remain.
