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Ina Agency

Asia Program: Northeast Asia

Overview

The Northeast Asia Project at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) launched in 2007 and the project has been among our highest priorities.

The project has conducted a number of research projects focusing on the issues of conflict, international relations and regional cooperation among countries in Northeast Asia. The projects include specific issues of interest, such as the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Straits and contemporary issues relating to military development, the economy, energy, environment, and human security of the Northeast Asian region.

Since 2007, the project on Northeast Asia has strengthened cooperation and expanded its contact network in the region and the long-term objective is to enhance and develop intra- and inter-regional contacts between the European institutes, and Europe and Northeast Asia. Our excellent contacts with some of the more influential think-tanks in Chinese politics today give a unique insight into the Chinese policy of tomorrow. Together with CICIR we will continue cooperation on Chinese foreign policy and conflict management through holding conferences and seminars as well as exchanging guest researchers, dealing with China's relations with its near abroad, Russia, Europe, USA, Japan, and Africa. Regarding Keio University in Japan and ISDP, the cooperation through joint events will continue with the next major conferences related to Sino-Japanese relations. Meanwhile, our contacts with some of the more influential think-tanks both in North and South Korea give a unique position in fulfilling an academic research, as well as political role. ISDP has agreements about academic exchange with the Institute for Disarmament and Peace (IDP) in Pyongyang, DPRK, with the Institute for Peace Unification Studies (IPUS), Seoul National University, with Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) in South Korea, and with the Center for EU Studies at Seoul National University.

Participating in the Northeast Asia projects are Dr. Niklas Swanström (ISDP Director), Ambassador Ingolf Kiesow (Senior Research Fellow), Major General Karlis Neretnieks (Senior Research Fellow), Dr. Bert Edström (Senior Research Fellow), Dr. Sangsoo Lee (Research Fellow), Martina Klimesova (Junior Research Fellow), Alec Forss (Junior Research Fellow) and Christopher O'Hara (Junior Research Fellow).

 

North Korean Peninsula Newsletter

As part of the Asia Program, the ISDP also publishes a free weekly newsletter, focusing on the latest development on the Korean Peninsula. If you would like to subscribe, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


Between Evolution and Devolution: The Transformation of Japanese Politics

Japan's domestic political system is a child of the early Cold War period. In the wake of its defeat in the Second World War, the East-West political and ideological confrontation was internalized into Japan's post-war political system that took shape during the Occupation years (1945-52). The end of the international Cold War was bound to have an impact on domestic politics, and since the 1990s the parameters of Japan's political system are changing.
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Confidence Building and Unification on the Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula remains one of the main concerns of the international community and poses a potential threat to regional security with problems relating to North Korea's nuclear issue. Moreover, the situation in the relations between North and South has worsened considerably during the recent years, basically, due to the lack of trust and confidence, as well as the contrasting ideas on the ways of reaching a solution on the nuclear issue. The relations between North and South Korea have always been characterized by official declarations about a mutual wish to achieve reunification of the two parts of Korea. However, the almost half a century of the division of the Korean Peninsula cannot be overcome only by burning national sentiment. Unification of the divided nation remains the dream of all Koreans. It may have been expected that some readjustment would be necessary.
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Cross-Straits Relations

A potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait could serve to critically undermine the stability of the region. The People´s Republic of China approximately has 900 to 1,000 missiles on alert within striking distance of Taiwan. Taiwan has continued its military build-up against China's military threat and request US arms sale to Taiwan.
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Peace Parks and Cross-border Cooperation

In a time of globalization, national boundaries are becoming increasingly redundant and losing their original significance which has practiced an essential part of nation-building and the creation of the security space. We therefore need to think of alternative ways to understand security and thus the security border, especially since the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, many countries of Northeast Asia still continue to be locked in seemingly intractable territorial and maritime disputes with their neighbours. Traditional exclusionist and armed and military supervised borders in Northeast Asia have served as obstacles to many potential benefits in the region.
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Swedish-North Korean Dialogue

ISDP has since 2005 arranged yearly dialogs together with the Institute for Disarmament and Peace (IDP) to increase the understanding of European policy in DPRK and DPRK policy in Europe. The focus has been on confidence building and regional security issues but also broader issues that are of importance for the parties involved. Moreover, ISDP and IDP have increased its bilateral contacts within both academic and policy research. This has resulted in increased exchanges of staff and research. This dialogue in the future can also include other participants from North Korea's neighboring countries and European countries, in order to support the regional stability process.
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The Transformation of Japan’s Foreign Policy

In the mid-19th century, Japan reappeared on the international stage after a two-century long seclusion during the Tokugawa period. Due to its victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1905), it was recognized as a great power, and has been an important international actor ever since. The only exception is a brief period following its defeat in the Second World War, which ended its status as a great power in military terms. Already at the end of the 1960s, it had regained its status as a great power economically, but not militarily, as it had been in the pre-war era.
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Publications

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Periodicals

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Newsletter

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New Book Releases

 

Niklas Swanström, Sofia Ledberg and Alec Forss (ed.)
Conflict Prevention and Management in Northeast Asia: The Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Strait in Comparison

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Nirmala Joshi (ed.)
Reconnecting India and Central Asia: Emerging Security and Economic Dimensions

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Michael Emerson, Jos Boonstra, Nafisa Hasanova, Marlène Laruelle and Sebastien Peyrouse
Monitoring the EU’s Central Asia Strategy

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