Institute for Security & Development Policy

Radicalization, Mental Health, and Migration: The Complex Web of Violence in Germany

Kristian Alexander writes that Germany’s recent wave of violent attacks has exposed critical vulnerabilities in its security, immigration, and mental health systems. These incidents, often perpetrated by individuals with complex profiles involving mental illness, social isolation, and unresolved asylum statuses, have fueled public fear and political polarization. The rise of anti-immigration rhetoric, coupled with systemic inefficiencies in asylum processing, deportation enforcement, and mental health care, has created a volatile environment, writes Alexander. While proposals for stricter security measures address immediate concerns, they risk neglecting deeper issues such as integration, mental health support, and counter-radicalization efforts, argues the author. Read this blog piece here.

Report of the Webinar on Dam Construction & Tibet as a Hydropower Zone: Implications on Tibet’s Climate Crisis?

This report is an outcome of the webinar titled "Dam Construction & Tibet as a Hydropower Zone: Implications on Tibet’s Climate Crisis?" organized by the SCSA-IPA at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP). It was held on January 20, 2025, and was the second in a series on the Climate Crisis in Tibet, which sought to address China’s key hydropower projects in the region. This webinar analyzed the number of “Super-Dams” impacting the Tibetan Plateau, alongside the rivers affected, those involved, and what havoc this would bring to the Himalayan region and beyond. It considered the ecological impact, China’s weaponization of natural resources, and how the international community should respond. Download and read the webinar report here.

Cascading Effects: Will China’s New Dam Create A Himalayan Rift?

Jagannath Panda and Mrittika Guha Sarkar write that China’s continued push for dams on Tibetan rivers is a direct result of its growing demands for not only water for drinking and other purposes but also electricity amid shrinking resources. This latter demand, in turn, is largely compounded by China’s expanding infrastructure activities in Tibet, mainland China, and the border areas. Panda and Sarkar write that undoubtedly, the over-damming will weaken the Tibetan Plateau’s ecosystem, which is already under strain due to global warming. The Tibetan Plateau, often referred to as the “Third Pole,” is warming at a rate nearly two times the global average. This accelerated warming is melting glaciers rapidly, destabilizing seasonal river flows, and increasing sedimentation risks in dam reservoirs. Additionally, aerosol deposits in the region further amplify glacial retreat, compounding risks for downstream populations and ecosystems. These cascading climate risks not only endanger ecosystems but also exacerbate security concerns. Read this piece by Jagannath Panda and Mrittika Guha Sarkar in The National Interest here.

Does Anyone Care About the Climate Crisis in Tibet?

The Dalai Lama has always been a forward thinker. Over the years, he has tirelessly campaigned about the dangers of playing with natural forces or disturbing the ecological balance of the high mountains of Asia, including China. Even against the background of suffering due to the Dingri earthquake, the Dalai Lama not only offered prayers but also invoked “the Buddhist spirit of seeking to transform adverse circumstances into an opportunity for growth and thus a stage on the path to enlightenment.” But does the Dalai Lama, who retired from active politics in 2011, have the world’s ears? Jagannath Panda writes and asks: in the constant din of continually advancing technological needs, does the world even care about Dalai Lama's philosophy on nature/environment? More so, what are the Dalai Lama’s solutions for climate action? In what ways are the multiple crises for Tibetan culture and religion impacting climate change? What is the current impact of China’s role as an “occupier”? What will it take for the United Nations’ climate forums not to overlook the cultural, religious, and societal aspects of climate damage in Tibet? Read this by Jagannath Panda in The Diplomat.

‘Critical to understand internal dynamics of China’: An Interview with FATOUMATA DIALLO

Fatoumata Diallo currently serves as the Acting Head of the Stockholm China Center and is a Research Fellow with the ISDP. With a background that includes working at the EU delegation to China in Beijing, Ms. Diallo brings a wealth of experience in international conflict studies and China-related research. She holds degrees from Leiden University in the Netherlands and the Institut National des Langues et Civilization Orientales (INALCO) in Paris, with a specialization in International Conflict Studies, International Relations, and Chinese Studies. Additionally, she has studied Chinese language at the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). Her research areas encompass Chinese domestic politics and governance, EU-China relations, defence and security policies, and the political economy of China. In this interview, conducted by China Center interns Ms. Celine Hedin and Mr. Tony Su, the role of ISDP’s China Center and Ms. Diallo’s direction as the new Acting Head and her perspectives on China-related (EU-China) developments are further explored. The interview can be read and downloaded here.

Securing U.S. Critical Infrastructure against Chinese Cyber Threat – Trump 2.0 Imperative

Nistha Kumari Singh and Amrita Jash write that enhancing critical infrastructure resilience against cyberattacks is crucial to modernization and economic growth, and the United States has taken many significant steps in this direction. They further write that Washington’s current approach to strengthening critical infrastructure protection involves existing agencies (FBI, CISA, DoD) operating in highly centralized, sector-specific methods, often following distinct approaches. However, a unified framework for information sharing and an integrated approach across all relevant agencies is essential to enhance collaboration and sharing methods, argues Singh and Jash. Therefore, in light of the increasing threat from China, safeguarding America’s critical infrastructure is vital for the agenda of Trump 2.0. Read this piece by Nistha Kumari Singh and Amrita Jash here.

ISDP opens the Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS)

ISDP is excited to announce the launch of the Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS). As global research and innovation face growing threats from misuse that harms security or violates ethical norms, the SCRIS will serve as an independent and sustainable thematic center at the ISDP to address these threats and advance solutions. The SCRIS is an independent and sustainable thematic center at the ISDP. With an international focus on cooperation between the U.S., EU, Indo-Pacific, and likeminded nations, particularly in the Nordic and Baltic regions, it aims to create an environment of awareness over concerned topics such as appropriation of know-how and proprietary information and its impact on the economic development of individual nations. The center’s research and activities focus on issues of securitization within Innovation, Critical Technology, IP protection, Technology transfer, R & D, and Manufacturing. The SCRIS will host open conferences, webinars, and fireplace discussions to raise awareness about its key issues, offering a global platform where important findings can be shared with a wider audience. Soon, the center will launch its digital Research and Innovation Series (RIS) where it will bring together scholars and experts from diverse fields and backgrounds.

Latest Publications

Report of the Webinar on Dam Construction & Tibet as a Hydropower Zone: Implications on Tibet’s Climate Crisis? (Climate Crisis in Tibet-II)

Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis, John Jones, Medha Bisht, Dechen Palmo, Anna Hayes, Jagannath Panda, Toby Logan, Giulia Saccone and Mariya Krupach

This webinar, organized by the SCSA-IPA at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), was held on January 20, 2025. It is the second in a series on the […]

Cascading Effects: Will China’s New Dam Create A Himalayan Rift?

Jagannath Panda and Mrittika Guha Sarkar

In mid-December, China marked the thirtieth anniversary of the official inauguration of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, the world’s largest hydroelectric project (in terms of installed capacity). Notwithstanding the decades-long […]

‘Critical to understand internal dynamics of China’: An Interview with FATOUMATA DIALLO

Celine Hedin, Tony Su and Fatoumata Diallo

Fatoumata Diallo currently serves as the Acting Head of the Stockholm China Center and is a Research Fellow. With a background that includes working at the EU delegation to China […]

Books

Arabs, Turks and Persians: Geopolitics and Ideology in the Greater Middle East

Svante E. Cornell

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 […]

Books & Monographs December, 2024
The US and EU, and the Emerging Supply Chain Network: Politics, Prospects, and Allies

Niklas Swanström, Fredrik Erixon and Mrittika Guha Sarkar

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 […]

Books & Monographs September, 2024
IN DEFENSE OF THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER

Norah M. Huang, Jagannath Panda, I-Chung Lai, Pao-Wen Li, Cheng-Yi Lin, Liang-Chih Evans Chen, Nobuyuki Hiraizumi, Nobukatsu Kanehara, Shin Kawashima, Jun Nagashima, Tatsuo Shikata, Niklas Swanström, Lars Vargö, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Alexander Radzyner, Brendon J. Cannon, Filippo Fasulo, Gedaliah Afterman, Jan Hornat, Joe Varner, Lai Thai Binh, Malcolm Davis, Mrittika Guha Sarkar and Stephen R. Nagy

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 […]

Books & Monographs February, 2024
Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations

Jagannath Panda and Ernest Gunasekara-Rockwell

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 […]

Books & Monographs June, 2022

Radicalization, Mental Health, and Migration: The Complex Web of Violence in Germany

Report of the Webinar on Dam Construction & Tibet as a Hydropower Zone: Implications on Tibet’s Climate Crisis?

Cascading Effects: Will China’s New Dam Create A Himalayan Rift?

Does Anyone Care About the Climate Crisis in Tibet?

‘Critical to understand internal dynamics of China’: An Interview with FATOUMATA DIALLO

Securing U.S. Critical Infrastructure against Chinese Cyber Threat – Trump 2.0 Imperative

ISDP opens the Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS)

Latest Publications

Report of the Webinar on Dam Construction & Tibet as a Hydropower Zone: Implications on Tibet’s Climate Crisis? (Climate Crisis in Tibet-II)

Cascading Effects: Will China’s New Dam Create A Himalayan Rift?

‘Critical to understand internal dynamics of China’: An Interview with FATOUMATA DIALLO

Books

Arabs, Turks and Persians: Geopolitics and Ideology in the Greater Middle East

The US and EU, and the Emerging Supply Chain Network: Politics, Prospects, and Allies

IN DEFENSE OF THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER

Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations