ISDP Voices

Everything about the Medog Hydropower Station in Tibet sounds like a monster. A cost of 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion). The capacity to supply energy to 300 million people. The ability to annually generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of power, three times the energy of the Three Gorges Dam, currently the largest hydropower dam in the […]

The Tibetan Plateau, renowned for its high mountains and extensive plateaus, is not only a geographical and natural wonder but also a region shaped by dynamic cultural, political, and social transformations. For China, Tibet’s plentiful natural resources are exploited to support its “national development”. Despite warnings about the environmental impacts, China continues to invest in […]

It is implausible that the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy can compete, contest, and contain China in the Indo-Pacific without focusing on the better half, the Indian Ocean. Also, it is highly unlikely that the competition between Washington and Beijing will remain limited to the Eastern part of the Indo-Pacific region, noticing the dynamic and increasing presence […]

The value of the classics for the modern world remains a controversial topic. Certain achievements of the past, such as the Pyramids in Egypt and the Antikythera mechanism in Greece, remain unsolved mysteries to scientists but encapsulate secrets that could be of contemporary relevance. In general, going back to ancient sources to derive information and […]

Donald Trump’s return to the White House coincides with a critical juncture for US-Iran relations, presenting a compelling case for maintaining maximum pressure rather than seeking a new deal. Domestically, the Iranian regime faces mounting public discontent fuelled by spiraling inflation, internal repression, and systemic corruption. Without sanctions relief or meaningful diplomatic engagement, these pressures […]

Yoon Suk-yeol, the president of South Korea (ROK), and his administration are currently dealing with both domestic concerns pertaining to Yoon’s credibility among Koreans as well as international challenges brought on by the re-election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States of America (U.S.) and North Korea’s (DPRK) cooperation with Russia. With 2024 […]

In October 2024, reports emerged from Ukraine and South Korea suggesting that North Korean combat troops had been deployed in significant numbers to the Ukraine-Russian front. As of this writing, the North Korean military, or Korean People’s Army (KPA), has integrated troops into the Russian army. This development is alarming but, in one sense, a […]

In February 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government following an election that signaled a populace increasingly interested in civilian rule. The military installed the State Administration Council (SAC), expecting a compliant citizenry with trouble confined to the border regions. What it encountered was nation-wide resistance. Today, the SAC control less than 50 […]

Introduction As China ramps up its onslaught of pressure on Taiwan, Taipei has increasingly looked beyond its gargantuan oppressor and toward South Asia. India has emerged as an unlikely partner for Taiwan, which has rattled Beijing. So much so that China has labeled India’s support of Taipei as a violation of its ‘One China’ policy […]

BRICS, a coalition of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, recently conducted its 16th Summit on October 22-23, in Kazan, Russia representing over 45 percent of the global population and 28 percent of the world economy. During the Kazan Summit, a significant possibility for South Asian collaboration emerged as India endorsed Pakistan’s prospective membership. […]