ISDP Voices

Despite the much-publicized special relationship of U.S. President Donald Trump with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who have met about nine times (and shared three rounds of golf) since late 2016, Trump’s policy agenda on trade and North Korean dialogue signals a disquieting uncertainty in the U.S.-Japan security alliance. Separating increasingly fraught economic talks from […]

ISDP’s Sangsoo Lee and Alec Forss give the lowdown on South Korean President Moon’s visit to Pyongyang. Why did President Moon go to Pyongyang? Alec Forss: This is the third time that Moon and Kim Jong Un have met within the space of just five months – a remarkable flurry of bilateral diplomacy given that […]

Today, Russia kicked off what is set to be its largest-ever military exercise, Vostok-2018.  Taking place in Russia’s Eastern provinces, it has been reported that the “war games” will involve 300,000 troops, 36,000 military vehicles, 1,000 planes and 80 warships.  What’s more, Russia is not operating alone. For the first time, the Chinese People’s Liberation […]

This year marks the 40th anniversary of reform that contributed to the transformation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) into one of the world’s leading economic powerhouses. By embracing new economic principles and designing an initiative approach to trade, millions of Chinese citizens were provided with the means to lift themselves out of poverty. […]