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Corridors of Culture, Routes of Power: CPEC in Xi’s GCI — Corridors of Culture, Routes of Power: CPEC in Xi’s GCI

Jagannath Panda writes that after almost three years on hold, the foreign ministers of China and Pakistan recently announced plans to advance construction of the upgraded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), agreeing to broaden collaboration in industry, agriculture, mining, and green energy. The question that arises is whether China is exporting infrastructure or a worldview? The author writes that as Beijing speaks the language of civilizational respect and mutual learning, its roads, ports, and pipelines continue to reshape South Asia’s political economy. At the heart of this paradox sits Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), which asserts a commitment to dialogue over dominance, operating in tandem with the hard steel and soft loans of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Read and download this piece here.

The Future of Korean Research from a Nordic Perspective — The Future of Korean Research from a Nordic Perspective

The ISDP Korea Center had, once again in 2025-2026, the pleasure of welcoming four young professionals from different Nordic nations with diverse professional backgrounds as part of the program. During the training program, the participants attended a three-day session in Stockholm, where they received lectures from leading academics, policy analysts, and diplomats from the Nordic countries, Europe, and South Korea. Following the three-day training session, each participant was allocated a senior mentor with relevant experience in their research topic. This booklet is thus a compilation of the participants’ research and the culmination of the Nordic-Korea Next Generation Training Program. Read and download the Special paper here.

What Sweden’s Cold War Strategy Can Teach South Korea in an Era of Alliance Fracture — What Sweden’s Cold War Strategy Can Teach South Korea in an Era of Alliance Fracture

This piece by Ju Hyung Kim analyses how Sweden’s Cold War experience offers an unexpectedly precise historical parallel for South Korea. He writes that throughout the Cold War period, Sweden maintained its official posture of military non-alignment. Nevertheless, this stance was never synonymous with passivity or equidistance between different blocs. Swedish leaders extracted hard lessons from the early twentieth century, particularly from the rapid collapse of neutrality guarantees during the Second World War and the Soviet Union’s coercion vis-à-vis Finland. As a result, Sweden developed a strategic model that combined value alignment with operational independence, and such experiences must be seriously considered in South Korea. Read the piece here.

How the Nordic-Baltic states became Europe’s reliable security engine — How the Nordic-Baltic states became Europe’s reliable security engine

This piece by Anna Wieslander and Louise Blomqvist that when US President Donald Trump escalated the Greenland crisis in early January by insisting on US ownership of the island and not ruling out military force, Denmark quickly received support from its Nordic and Baltic neighbors. This was no coincidence. Over just a few years, the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8)—Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—has become far more proactive and agile in shaping European security policy. The authors argue that unity matters, and strong joint statements matter too. But in a European security debate characterized by constant declarations and uneven follow-through, matching words with action is what has truly built credibility for this Northern European forum, writes Wieslander and Blomqvist.

Shifting Balances in South Asia — Shifting Balances in South Asia

This joint dossier between the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs of the ISDP and ISPI in Italy explores how rivalry between India and China is redefining South Asia’s strategic landscape, from the stalled Himalayan border dispute to growing competition for influence through political backing, infrastructure, and energy investments. Edited by Nicola Missaglia, Jagannath Panda, and Michele Danesi, this joint publication examines the strategies of New Delhi and Beijing and how key countries in the region balance their relationships with both powers. The analysis also looks beyond regional dynamics, assessing the role of external actors such as the European Union and Japan. Read and download this dossier here.

Building Bridges Through Sports: Opportunities for Sweden – Taiwan Collaboration: Digital Taiwan Lecture Series Report — Building Bridges Through Sports: Opportunities for Sweden – Taiwan Collaboration: Digital Taiwan Lecture Series Report

The Stockholm Taiwan Center of the Institute for Security and Development Policy held a webinar for the Digital Taiwan Lecture Series on December 9, 2025, to discuss opportunities and challenges in strengthening bilateral ties between Sweden and Taiwan through sports. The speakers have backgrounds in government and foreign affairs, as well as long-standing engagement in sports. This report summarizes the main takeaways from the webinar, ranging from the understanding that sports transcend the physical dimension and can therefore unite territories through the shared democratic values embedded in sports activities, to the obstacles and challenges Sweden and Taiwan might face in building closer relations through sports. Read the report here.

Security Choices for the Republic of China (Taiwan) and their Implications — Security Choices for the Republic of China (Taiwan) and their Implications

Cross-Strait relations and the strategic interaction between Washington and Beijing constitute the overarching national security framework within which the Taiwan independence movements seek to find opportunities. This issue brief by Kwei-Bo Huang examines Taiwan’s national security through the lens of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan), tracing its historical evolution and strategic challenges. It explores how the triangular dynamics among Beijing, Taipei, and Washington shape Taiwan’s security choices and considers the implications that a pursuit of Taiwan independence may hold for regional stability and the ROC’s long-term survival. Read and download the brief here.

Command without Trust: Zhang Youxia’s Fall and the Crisis Inside the PLA — Command without Trust: Zhang Youxia’s Fall and the Crisis Inside the PLA

Niklas Swanström writes that Zhang Youxia’s fall represents far more than another corruption case. It marks the culmination of a multi-year power struggle between competing princeling factions for control of China’s military. Xi Jinping has achieved unprecedented personal command authority, but at enormous cost to PLA effectiveness, writes Swanström. Read this piece here.

Events »

17 Feb

Silk Cage Series – Webinar I: From Corridors to Control: China’s Long Shadow in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region
19 Feb

Silk Cage Series – Webinar II: Corridor, Client, or Catalyst? CPEC and Beijing’s Strategic Leverage from Pakistan to the Indian Ocean
5 Mar

Silk Cage Series – Webinar III: Corridors, Coasts, and Contestation: China’s Influence Operations in the Bay of Bengal and the BCIM Space

Publications »

The Future of Korean Research from a Nordic Perspective

Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen

How the Nordic-Baltic states became Europe’s reliable security engine

Anna Wieslander and Louise Blomqvist

Shifting Balances in South Asia

Nicola Missaglia, Jagannath Panda and Michele Danesi

Building Bridges Through Sports: Opportunities for Sweden – Taiwan Collaboration: Digital Taiwan Lecture Series Report

Security Choices for the Republic of China (Taiwan) and their Implications

Security Expert Panda: “Democracies can negotiate ambitious agreements”; an interview with Table.Briefings

Jagannath Panda

ISDP Spotlight

New webinar series: Silk Cage Series (February 17 & 19) — New webinar series: Silk Cage Series (February 17 & 19)

The Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs is organizing a new webinar series, the "Silk Cage Series". The first webinar on February 17 will focus on "From Corridors to Control: China’s Long Shadow in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region" and the second one on February 19 is titled "Corridor, Client, or Catalyst? CPEC and Beijing’s Strategic Leverage from Pakistan to the Indian Ocean". Welcome to join us!

ISDP welcomed Ulrik Nilsson for a discussion on election observation missions and challenges for democracies — ISDP welcomed Ulrik Nilsson for a discussion on election observation missions and challenges for democracies

Ulrik Nilsson, Member of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) from the Moderaterna party, visited ISDP to discuss international election observation missions in countries including Poland, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The discussion focused on his experiences, observations, the challenges posed by authoritarian states to democracies, and internal challenges within democratic systems.

ISDP co-hosted the Inaugural Central Asia-Nordic Think Tank Forum with the International Institute for Central Asia in Tashkent — ISDP co-hosted the Inaugural Central Asia-Nordic Think Tank Forum with the International Institute for Central Asia in Tashkent

ISDP was honored to co-host the Inaugural Central Asia-Nordic Think Tank Forum with the International Institute for Central Asia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Forum, following up on a May 2025 seminar hosted by ISDP in Stockholm that brought together Nordic and Central Asian experts, seeks to be a driving force in developing closer ties between the Nordic countries and the Central Asian region.