ISDP Voices

The Internet is often described as a space for creativity, empowerment, and knowledge that builds on a vision of freedom and borderless connectivity. It is also regarded as an enabler of different human rights, with some even considering access to the Internet as a human right itself. But is this perspective shared by all, and what […]

By unpacking some of the key ideas within the human rights debate, this blog post argues that the debates and discussions surrounding human rights are essential for its promotion. The notion of human rights is heavily contested and politicized. After the Second World War when the human rights debate took center stage there were noticeable differences in conceptions of human […]

Continued failure to identify a shared political vision for the future hampers any prospect of a genuine fresh start after the Northern Ireland’s election, argues Alec Forss. Northern Ireland’s election to the Stormont assembly on March 2 was billed as the most important since the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal […]

China’s ban on coal imports in the latest round of sanctions on North Korea does not equate to it turning its back on its neighbor, argue Eleonora Rossi and Sangsoo Lee. Last month was a busy period for North Korea watchers. On February 12, Pyongyang successfully conducted its first missile test of 2017, and on the following […]

While China is actively seeking to diversify energy routes to reduce its dependence on the Straits of Malacca, the strategic waterway still remains a safer bet than other untested alternatives, argues B.A. Hamzah. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are one of the most vital sea lines of communication in the world, constituting the principal […]