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India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: Will It Get Subsumed by Its Grand Vision?
Jagannath Panda reviews the significance of the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor (IMEC). He writes that the proposed corridor is an impressive, albeit perhaps an overly ambitious, plan that aims to improve inter-regional integration via the “physical, digital, and financial connectivity” between multiple countries in South Asia, the Gulf, and Europe through transnational multimodal (rail, road, and shipping) routes. At present, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the project has been signed by European Union (EU), France, Germany, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the US. Although few details are available on the just-released initiatives, questions persist on its viability, particularly in face of China’s own extravagant connectivity plan, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). How competitive is the IMEC, and can it measure up to the grand vision it sets forth? Jagannath Panda addresses some of these point in this piece.
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China’s Decision-making and the Border Dispute with India
What factors have prevented the PRC and India from moving past the stalemate over the LAC and reaching a sustainable solution to the border conflict? Looking at the PRC’s decision-making process and outlook toward India (and the region at large), what are the prospects for successful negotiations between the two countries moving forward? Jagannath Panda addresses some of these questions in this chapter on China's decision-making and the PLA's boundary dispute with India. He argues that to understand the Chinese intention and the motives behind its boundary dispute with India, it is worth looking at the factors, particularly through the strategic lens of China, that led to a relatively sudden escalation of tensions between the two countries in recent years. Looking at China’s domestic debates and its decision-making processes can help gain critical insight into Chinese perceptions on the issue and, therefore, help project the future of the boundary crisis, writes Jagannath Panda.
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Canada-India Spat: Weighing in on the Indo-Pacific
Stephen R. Nagy reviews the recent downturn in Canada-India ties and argues this is an important relations in Indo-Pacific that should not be allowed to struggle. He writes that without strong and sustained meaningful relations with India, Canada will find it increasingly difficult to enact on its Indo-Pacific strategy. India is charting out its own future; prioritizing a multipolar world in which India is a major player. India continues to straddle difficult problems such as Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, or even a more assertive and allies’ first approach to constraining China’s growth in a nuanced and often unreliable way. Resurrecting Canada-India relations would require realism, pragmatism, and an interest-based diplomatic approach on the part of both Ottawa and New Delhi, strongly argues Nagy.
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The French Connection: India-France Partnership for the Indo-Pacific Zeitgeist
India’s bilateral relationship with France is on the rise, and a test case for maintaining a distinct trajectory of its own allowing enough elbow room to both countries to practice their respective strategic autonomies. This issue brief by Monish Tourangbam and Mayank Chari analyzes that the partnership between India and France is one of equals based on complementariness of interest and congruence of intent. The complex geo-politics and geo-economics of the Indo-Pacific would require navigating areas of competition, cooperation, and confrontation. The issue brief further argues that New Delhi and Paris are well positioned through their worldviews to lend a sense of pragmatism in the Indo-Pacific, beyond the binary expectations of “either you are with us, or against us”. India and France through their terms of engagements sans entanglements could provide a primer for the webs of new partnerships and alignments in the Indo-Pacific, argues strongly Monish Tourangbam and Mayank Chari.
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What Comes Next for North Korea-Russia Relations?
Gabriela Bernal and Sangsoo Lee review the growing chemistry between Russia and North Korea. They ague that North Korea and Russia have taken their relations to a new level after the leaders of the two countries held an in-person summit meeting last week. While Pyongyang and Moscow have enjoyed close ties since the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1948, the relationship is seeing a significant upgrade. The visit by Kim Jong Un to Russia shows the world that North Korea has more than just China to rely on and, in fact, has its own “bloc” alliance comprising its two closest diplomatic partners. The development is particularly noteworthy in the context of an increasingly strong Japan-South Korea-U.S. trilateral, writes Bernal and Lee.
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Join ISDP: Right now we are looking for interns and a Research Fellow
Are you interested in working in a dynamic and international environment? Right now, we are looking for new team members! The application period for our spring 2024 internships is now open. Specifically, we are looking for interns for our Asia Program, China Center, and Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, supervised by the respective Head of Center/ Program. We have an open position for a Research Fellow at ISDP's Stockholm China Center: Do you have experience in the fields of international relations, global policy or journalism? Do you possess a keen interest in Chinese foreign and security policy? If you are eager to work in a dynamic environment and make a meaningful impact in the policy arena, we warmly invite you to apply!
Latest Publications
India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: Will It Get Subsumed by Its Grand Vision?
The recently concluded Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in New Delhi under India’s presidency was, undoubtedly, a crowning moment for India. From providing the G20 with new relevance among the […]
China’s Decision-making and the Border Dispute with India
What factors have prevented the PRC and India from moving past the stalemate over the LAC and reaching a sustainable solution to the border conflict? Looking at the PRC’s decision-making […]
The French Connection: India-France Partnership for the Indo-Pacific Zeitgeist
India’s bilateral relationship with France has been a robust one, and a test case for maintaining a distinct trajectory of its own allowing enough elbow room to both countries to […]