Maria Santucci

To Lam framed today’s instability as a crisis of order, development and strategic trust. The Vietnamese leader argued that unmanaged competition, rather than competition itself, is the main security risk. Hanoi is positioning itself as a defender of ASEAN-centred stability and preventive diplomacy. As strategic competition dominates the security debate in Asia, Vietnamese President and Communist Party General Secretary To Lam used his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue to make a different argument.

AFRICOM warned that jihadist groups in the Sahel already have the intent to target U.S. interests, even if their ability to strike the U.S. homeland remains uncertain. Gen. Dagvin Anderson acknowledged major U.S. intelligence and surveillance gaps in Africa, worsened by reduced Western influence and limited access to bases in the Sahel.

Jaish-e-Mohammad facilities damaged during Operation Sindoor are being rebuilt, raising fresh questions about Pakistan’s counterterrorism credibility. Islamabad continues fighting the TTP internally while still facing accusations of tolerating anti-India militant groups seen as strategically useful. The reconstruction efforts risk undermining Pakistan’s international credibility on terrorism financing and militant containment.