ISDP Voices

The meeting between the leaders of China and India in April 2018 appeared to indicate a thaw in relations between the two powers. However, the security deal India signed with Oman in February allowing its navy access to the port of Duqm may suggest otherwise. Only a few years ago, a group of Chinese investors […]

Under the slogan of a new start for peace, the inter-Korean Summit was the first meeting between Korean leaders in over a decade, and just the third since the end of the Korean War. Alec Forss, a project coordinator with ISDP’s Korea Project, discussed its implications with Korea expert Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea […]

The gesture of sending participants to the winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, together with the invitation from Kim Jong-un to the U.S. president for a summit meeting are reflective of a sudden change in North Korean behavior. And this switch, from a policy of repeated belligerence to a charm offensive, has put Japan in a rather […]

There is once again cautious optimism of breaking the deadlock on the Korean Peninsula. A flurry of inter-Korean diplomacy, a “commitment” to denuclearization by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the prospect of a U.S.-North Korea summit have spelled a dramatic change after the peaking of tensions last year. But while these developments bring […]

Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference in December 2017 came a few days after the Russian president took part in the launch of the new Yamal LNG plant in the Russian Arctic, a $27 billion project aiming to overtake Qatar’s leadership in the gas sector. The biggest industrial project in the region, the plant is operated […]

Over the past few weeks a political crisis between the President and Supreme Court of the Maldives has been unfolding. With a population of just over 400,000 people, the former British protectorate is Asia’s smallest country by size and population and is probably best known for its idyllic beaches. However, this comes at a time […]

On December 31, 2017, China’s domestic ivory market was officially shut down. Considering that the trade accounted for more than half of worldwide ivory consumption, Beijing´s decision is seen as turning point, warmly greeted by wildlife conservationists as a major step in combatting animal trafficking and poaching. However, the question remains whether the ban will […]

2017 saw many changes in the geopolitical and security situation in East Asia and the world. The United States has arguably become more unpredictable, tensions with North Korea have reached all-time-highs, and China appears to be stepping up its role in the region. These geopolitical forces are pushing Japan in the direction that Prime Minister […]

Less than five months ago, South Korean president Moon Jae-in gave a speech at the UN General Assembly in which he outlined his dream of welcoming North Korean athletes into the opening stadium at the Pyeongchang Olympics, a joint Korean cheering squad receiving them as part of what he called a “march for peace”. With […]

Major General (ret.) Mats Engman identifies key risk management measures which could bring constructive developments to the renewed Inter-Korean military talks. Mats Engman is former Head of the Swedish delegation to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). He recently joined ISDP as a Distinguished Military Fellow.  The overall security situation on the Korean Peninsula is very […]