ISDP Voices

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. […]

Alec Forss reflects on his impressions from a recent trip to South Korea on the new mood of peace and the potentials for deepening inter-Korean cooperation. On a recent trip to South Korea, a friend and former colleague invited me to share in the new optimistic mood of peace in the country. Just months before, […]

Britain and France have announced that their navies will conduct a joint freedom of navigation exercise through the South China Sea in June. This could signal a shift in their engagement towards the Indo-Pacific, with major implications for regional security dynamics and Chinese policy. Power Games in the Indo-Pacific The growth of China’s influence in […]

Mats Engman looks at the military and political consequences of suspending the joint U.S.-ROK military exercises announced at the recent U.S.-DPRK Summit in Singapore. Annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are an integral component of the two countries’ defense alliance, based on the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1953. Accordingly, […]

The #MeToo movement has sent shockwaves through South Korean society. Alice Privey discusses its emergence with Hawon Jung, Seoul correspondent for AFP (Agence France Press), as well as offers her own reflections on its potential implications. While the world has its eyes on Trump, Kim and Moon, following closely the latest peace developments on the […]

On May 24, 2018, Burkina Faso’s Minister of foreign affairs, Alpha Barry, announced that after 24 years of cooperation, his country had decided to cease diplomatic relations with Taipei and re-engage with Beijing. While Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China (ROC), views itself as an independent sovereign state, the People’s Republic of China […]

In the wake of the shifting security environment, and with the emergence of new security threats, the protection of overseas citizens and interests has become a diplomatic priority for Beijing. While much attention has been given to the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) role in managing security needs abroad, few observers have taken an interest in […]

The past few months of frenetic diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula, including a highly symbolic summit between the two Korean leaders in April, have represented a remarkable turnaround from the brinkmanship of last year. In fact, at times it has almost seemed too good to be true. Last week, perhaps to be expected, North Korea […]