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India-Sweden Strategic Compass
As we move forward to the year 2025, India-Sweden Strategic Compass reflect on the year 2024 marked by major international events, ambitious environmental initiatives, and geopolitical challenges shaping the future of our world. India has continued to assert its global leadership through significant actions, notably at COP29 in Baku, where it strongly advocated for climate justice while criticizing the inadequate commitments of developed nations. Simultaneously, its efforts to strengthen bilateral ties—with the EU, Nordic countries, and Africa—highlight a forward-looking strategy centered on innovation and sustainability. In Europe, Sweden has heightened its civil preparedness in response to growing regional instability, distributing a practical resilience guide to its citizens. At the same time, it is conducting a complex investigation into the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, underscoring the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. There is significant scope for the bilateral relationship between India and Sweden to deepen further as both countries continue to leverage mutual strengths in trade, investment, and technology through 2024. As we enter 2025, these dynamics remind us of the importance of collective action and sustainable solutions to address the challenges of our time. We hope you enjoy this edition and wish you a new year filled with collaboration and progress. Read and download the November-December 2024 issue of India-Sweden Strategic Compass here.
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Navigating Power in Asia: Insights into Regional Order Japan’s Role as a Middle Power in Asian Diplomacy: An Interview with PROF. KEI KOGA
Kei Koga, an Associate Professor at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), speaks to Lena Fargier of the ISDP on Japan's role as a middle power in Asian diplomacy. Prof. Koga argues that today, Japan continues to shape the regional order through informal groupings and initiatives integrating Western liberal principles into an Asian context. It prioritizes inclusive, economic, and political engagement rather than military power, fostering a cooperative and rules-based regional order. By acting as a bridge between Western values and Asian sensibilities, Japan plays a unique role in maintaining stability and promoting development across the region. Read and download this full interview here.
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Climate Meltdown in Tibet: Global Recognition Still Missing
Are the climate conditions in Tibet undergoing a crisis? Varuna Shankar writes that the Tibetan Plateau covers approximately 2 percent of the planet, the size of Western Europe, with more than half of the area over 4000 m above sea level. It is the highest and most extensive highland in the world, with as many as 46,000 glaciers, making it the third-largest ice mass in the world. This issue brief by Varuna Shankar aims to identify the importance of the Himalayan glaciers and the potential threat to the fragile mountain ecosystem in the Tibetan region. This would include the natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for its degradation in contemporary times. Furthermore, it delves into the geopolitics of ecology ingrained within it. It explores the critical role that international climate forums can play in voicing the Tibetan Plateau’s importance in preserving the global climate system. Read and download the issue brief here.
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The Trump Effect: Will India Lean Into the China Thaw in 2025?
How are the China-India ties poised for 2025 and ahead? How far will their current thaw sustain? Can the incoming Trump administration muddy the waters of the apparent China-India budding warmth in ties? Or will it be business as usual? Where does the Global South feature in this unending saga of India-China rivalry? Jagannath Panda writes that the timing of the “positive” developments in China-India ties is remarkable: amid the flourishing India-U.S. engagements and the imminent return of Donald Trump as the U.S. president. Trump has already indicated a rough trajectory ahead with Beijing, with China hawks as his national security picks. Even vis-à-vis India, Trump’s unpredictability will usher in challenges, New Delhi’s immediate uncomplicated positive reaction to the Trump victory notwithstanding. Yet, how the China-India-U.S. triangularity plays out in the coming months and years would be one of the more compelling narratives to watch out for in the regional and global landscape. Read this piece by Jagannath Panda forecasting China-India Relations in 2025 and ahead published in The Diplomat.
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Ukraine: The Inflection Point in the China-Russia Axis
Niklas Swanström and Andrew Scobell write about how the West, and the world at large, must find a nuanced approach to deal with China-Russia chemistry. They argue that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has catalyzed a profound shift in global power dynamics: the deepening of the partnership between China and Russia. This relationship, while rooted in history, represents a significant departure from previous patterns of cooperation. China-Russia ties have evolved from a transactional relationship of convenience to a more durable strategic alignment while continuing to fall short of a full-blown military alliance. This development challenges traditional Western assumptions about the limits of authoritarian cooperation and may signal the emergence of a new model of international partnership, write Swanström and Scobell. They further write that China’s assistance to Russia has arguably prolonged the war, awakened NATO and the EU to the dangers of the China-Russia axis, and forced Brussels and other capitals to take stronger measures against Beijing and Moscow than anyone could have anticipated. The cooperation between China and Russia, as well as North Korea and Iran, has deepened in ways that few would have thought possible before Russia invaded Ukraine. Read this piece by Swanström and Scobell at the USIP here.
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Martial Law and Political Polarization: What’s in Store for South Korea?
This issue brief by Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen and Mats Engman cover the implication of the imposition of martial law in South Korea and the emerging political polarization in the country. They write that on December 3, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared emergency martial law, shocking both the country and the rest of the world. However, the martial law was only in place for a few hours before being rescinded by the National Assembly. Yoon’s decision to impose martial law sparked protests in both civic society and the opposition, with many urging that he and his supporters accept responsibility for their actions. Following weeks of uncertainty and a lack of consistent action to deal with the fallout from the martial law debacle, the National Assembly impeached Yoon on December 14, stripping him of presidential powers while the Constitutional Court conducts an investigation. The long-term implications, both domestic and external, will be significant, as South Korea continues to face uncertainty due to radical changes in leadership, prolonged political polarization, and an unclear foreign policy direction over the next 6-12 months, write Rasmussen and Engman. Download and read this issue brief here.
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India-Sweden Strategic Compass
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Navigating Power in Asia: Insights into Regional Order Japan’s Role as a Middle Power in Asian Diplomacy: An Interview with PROF. KEI KOGA
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Climate Meltdown in Tibet: Global Recognition Still Missing
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The Trump Effect: Will India Lean Into the China Thaw in 2025?
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Ukraine: The Inflection Point in the China-Russia Axis
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Martial Law and Political Polarization: What’s in Store for South Korea?
Latest Publications
India-Sweden Strategic Compass; November-December 2024 • Vol.3 • No.6
As we move forward to the year 2025, India and Sweden reflect on a year marked by major international events, ambitious environmental initiatives, and geopolitical challenges shaping the future of […]
The Trump Effect: Will India Lean Into the China Thaw in 2025?
Reversing the trend that India and China ties have witnessed in the last half-decade, the coming year is unusually optimistic. For the first time in recent history, bilateral hostilities have […]
China’s Himalayan Hustle: Revisionism Resistance Must be the Order of the Region
This edited volume brings together papers to highlight the challenges and opportunities in mapping China’s Himalayan hustle. It aims to advance key debates about the importance of this region to […]
Books
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Arabs, Turks and Persians: Geopolitics and Ideology in the Greater Middle East
For decades, the Greater Middle East has been a leading challenge to American foreign policy. This vast region – ranging from North Africa in the west to Afghanistan in the […]
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The US and EU, and the Emerging Supply Chain Network: Politics, Prospects, and Allies
The Global Supply Chains have evolved from simply logistical achievements to being the bedrock of the global economy. Driven by technological advances and geopolitical shifts, this transformation underscores the critical […]
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IN DEFENSE OF THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER
In recent years, the geopolitical fight for global economic, diplomatic, and institutional control has acutely intensified, accentuating the crisis in the existing post-World War II Liberal International Order (LIO), championed […]
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Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations
This book explores how the Quad Plus mechanism is set to reshape the global multilateral economic and security co-operations between Quad partner countries and the rest of the world. With […]