Geography confers advantages and imposes restrictions on regions. Regional powers over the millennia, leverage the former and aim to overcome the latter to maximize their gains. Such behaviour has been more consistent than political or religious ideologies.This can be seen in turmoil in Pakistan despite religious homogeneity and the failure of the erstwhile USSR China Vietnam axis at the height of Cold War despite similar ideology and structures. Likely emergence of China as a global power has placed its neighbours on the horns of dilemma, where some portray it as expansionist and...