Executive Summary: Six months after three of Myanmar’s largest anti-junta militias launched a joint operation against the Tatmadaw, they have succeeded in seizing large swathes of territory—albeit at a high price. These successes have not brought down the ruling regime, however, and Myanmar’s ethnic militias... MORE

Executive Summary: Bao Youxiang is the architect of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the armed wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP). Bao has led the group since 1995 and has successfully modernized both the local economy and the ethnic Wa militia—the largest... MORE

Executive Summary Anti-junta rebels in Myanmar are increasingly turning to 3D-printed weaponry to fight the regime’s forces. These weapons are significantly cheaper to acquire and easier to produce than factory-made armaments. Going forward, 3D printers may offer insurgents arounds the world a new means by... MORE

Executive Summary The continuing string of Abu Sayyaf militants surrendering themselves in the Philippines suggests an ongoing collapse in jihadist morale. Effective reintegration programs combined with counter-insurgency successes against Abu Sayyaf will allow the Philippines to focus on other militant groups, like the communist National... MORE

Executive Summary: The Indian government and the government of the restive northeastern state of Manipur signed a “peace agreement” with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a banned ethnic Meitei organization, on November 29, 2023. While signing the peace agreement is a breakthrough for the... MORE

Executive Summary Thailand has managed to secure the release of its 18 hostages from Hamas with the help of a Thai professor at al-Mustafa International University in Qom, who acted as a mediator. Thailand has avoided taking an explicitly critical position on Hamas, despite the... MORE

Executive Summary In the last decade, Philippine naval forces have successfully neutralized Abu Sayyaf's once significant piracy operations in the maritime area between Mindanao, Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia. This is due in no small part to regional cooperation and joint anti-piracy efforts by the Philippines,... MORE

Executive Summary Egianus Kogoya, a West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) commander, is holding a New Zealand pilot hostage and threatening to execute him unless West Papua wins its independence, though the movement’s leadership has disagreed with this hardline stance. Over the course of two... MORE

Executive Summary: Moscow is looking to South Asia as a source of new immigrants to compensate for the demographic decline of the Russian population and declining numbers of migrant workers from Central Asia. Such a policy faces enormous obstacles given both the negative attitudes of... MORE

Executive Summary Indonesia's general election is scheduled for February 14, 2024. 59 militants were arrested on October 31, 2023 for planning to disrupt said elections, including 19 members of Jemaa Islamiya (JI), which was previously believed to have been dormant. 40 suspects from the Jamaah... MORE