ASIAN Journal of International Peace & Security (AJIPS)

Interest Groups as a Key Policy Actors: Representation and Influence in the United States Political System

2026-01-01T16:43:57+00:00

The interest groups, whose influence, representation, and overall impact on public opinion, are the main focus of the study, present a significant role in the public policymaking process in the United States. Through a qualitative case study method, the research investigates to what extent the interest groups are allowed to participate in the policy formation process by lobbying, advocacy, and public engagement. This study relies on a variety of data such as policy documents, congressional records, and lobbying disclosures, in addition to literature reviews. According to the study, one of the main reasons why interest groups are considered indispensable in the democratic governance process is that they articulate different societal interests, provide the policymakers with the necessary expertise, and serve as a mediator between the citizens and the government. Besides, the study also points out new access and influence problems that need to be tackled through further research.

From 9/11 to 10/7: Netanyahu’s Metaphor Transforming Terror into a Moral Narrative

2026-01-01T17:28:52+00:00

The paper presents a case study on metaphorical expressions of Netanyahu, examining how war crimes, violence, and morality are embedded within a metaphorical framework. The paper aims to contribute towards a better post-9/11 metaphorical analysis of "Israel-Palestine conflict" through a close examination of the video recording of Netanyahu’s address, focusing specifically on strategies of positive selfpresentation, "Us-Them," strategies, to make violence appear legitimate. The research paper further uses a Political Discourse Analysis tool conceptualized by Teun A. Van Dijk, to identify how this metaphorical appropriation can help identify Netanyahu’s cover mechanism, where terrorists past historical strategies are likened to cement a political ideology. Within this broader metaphorical construct, this paper interprets a qualitative research design where textual analysis of the metaphorical representation is presented. The result of this paper explains how metaphorical conceptualization can help create a division to position people both as victims and terrorists, besides metaphorical usage to frame terrorism as a threat to humanity. The paper further contributes towards enhancing our knowledge of metaphorical usage within a post9/11 construct, and helps to identify how metaphoric conceptualization can create opportunities for politicians to frame terrorism within a threat construct.

Understanding Policy Failure in Pakistan: Structural Mechanisms and Cross-National Learning

2026-02-17T19:00:27+00:00

Political failure in Pakistan has remained a persistent and multidimensional phenomenon, manifesting in governance breakdowns, institutional fragility, policy inconsistency, and recurrent democratic reversals. This paper seeks to develop a structured understanding of political failure in Pakistan by examining its underlying structural mechanisms and drawing comparative insights from cross-national experiences. The paper conceptualizes political failure as a systemic outcome produced through the interaction of institutional design, civil-military imbalance, weak accountability frameworks, elite capture, and constrained state capacity. The paper also discovers reform paths pursued by comparatively successful countries that overcame similar circumstances of instability and moved towards institutionalization. By combining structural explanations with cross-national learning, the paper helps to inform theoretical discourses on state failure and democratic weakness while providing policy-relevant knowledge for institutional transformation in Pakistan. This research uses a qualitative, comparative methodology with case study of Pakistan, rooted in the traditions of political economy and institutionalism. The results seek to shift the discussion from normative arguments to more analytically informed explanations that can help to support sustainable political and governance transformations.

Intersecting Strategies: A Comparative Analysis of the BRI, C5+1 and Eurasian Economic Union in Central Asia

2026-02-17T19:14:18+00:00

This paper explains that although the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and C5+1 frameworks are frequently portrayed as rival geopolitical projects in the region, in reality, all of them reproduce asymmetric power relations that constrain the strategic autonomy of regional state. This study employs a comparative qualitative research design and relies both primary and secondary sources to examine the BRI, EAEU and the C5+1 framework as rival but overlapping systems of external impact on Central Asia. By applying a comparative institutional and geoeconomic approach, the paper reveals that China through its infrastructure driven financing, Russia through its regulatory assimilation and the United States through its governance-based diplomacy represents distinct but complementary mechanisms of external influence. Although the governments of Central Asia use multi-vector diplomacy to multiply partners and maximize the benefits, the given strategy is mostly used within the frames of structural constraints imposed by external forces. The results indicate that multi-vectorism functions less as a route to actual regional empowerment and more as an adaptive survival strategy within a disintegrated Eurasian order.

The Emerging Global Order: A Comparative Analysis of China and US Strategies in the Indo-Pacific Region

2026-02-19T18:12:27+00:00

This research aims to compare and analyze the strategies of China and the United States in the Indo-Pacific region with respect to emerging global order. The research employs qualitative research method and thematic analysis to comparatively analyze the strategies of these great powers. The research examines these policies through two contrasting theoretical frameworks. First, Offensive Realism to analyze the US strategy. Second, the English School of Thought to understand China’s approach in the IndoPacific Region. The study argues that the world order is shifting from Pax-Americana to Pax-Sinica. The new world order will be multipolar in nature, where the US will remain the dominant power but not unilaterally, other powers, will join hands in shaping the geopolitical and geo-economic affairs. China is expected to assume the leading role in geo-economic affairs. Rather than dismantling the liberal institutional order, China will refine the existing framework by introducing Chinese characteristics of “shared destiny” or win-win cooperation and avoid confrontation or intervention in domestic affairs. Pax-Sinica order will be focused on geo-economics and will not pay attention to the internal political dynamics of any sovereign country. Hence, the liberal institutional order will be sustained, however, with a new set of rules and norm.