Research
The Geopolitics of the New Silk Road
In recent years, Beijing has signaled a new interest in the states of its western periphery by announcing plans for a “Silk Road Economic Belt,” “Maritime Silk Road,” and a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, all of which are now part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiatives. China’s westward interests start with the vast energy resources of Central Asia and the Middle East, but other security and economic concerns are leading Beijing to focus greater attention westward, from Kazakhstan to Sri Lanka, Pakistan to Saudi Arabia.
What are the likely consequences of China’s expanded commercial, diplomatic, and strategic activity? Will China exacerbate or soothe tensions between India and Pakistan, or between Iran and Saudi Arabia? Will Afghanistan benefit from Chinese investment and enhanced diplomatic attention? Will Russia’s influence in Central Asia be displaced by China’s wealth and unquenchable thirst for energy?
For the United States, the answers to these and other questions will determine whether China’s westward march presents a geostrategic threat, a new opportunity for greater cooperation, or merely a distraction from other pressing global concerns.
These topics are at the center of a roundtable series at Johns Hopkins SAIS and form the core agenda for China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia.
US-China Dialogue on South Asia
With support from Johns Hopkins SAIS and the US Institute of Peace, small groups of expert analysts from the United States and China meet to discuss current topics of mutual interest in South Asia. Prior meetings have taken place in Paris, Washington, and Beijing.
The Future of U.S.-Pakistan Relations
Pakistan’s internal troubles already threaten U.S. security and international peace, and Pakistan’s rapidly growing population, nuclear arsenal, and relationships with China and India will continue to force it onto the United States’ geostrategic map in new and important ways over the coming decades.
To address these issues, occasional roundtable discussions are convened at Johns Hopkins SAIS with U.S. government officials, academics, and private sector analysts.