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Middle-lateralism under international order transition: institutional design in an era of renewed great-power competition — Middle-lateralism under international order transition: institutional design in an era of renewed great-power competition

This research article by Jae Jeok Park and Jagannath Panda explores the concept of “middle-laterals” as an emerging category for international cooperation typologies. As states adapt to a multipolar world marked by complex security dynamics, shifting power balances, and transnational challenges, they increasingly seek cooperation formats that balance flexibility with structured engagement. Middle-laterals embody this balance by adopting selective membership, issue-specific focus, and a moderate level of institutionalization, allowing members to pursue shared interests without the binding commitments typical of traditional multilateralism. Through a conceptual analysis, this article identifies the defining characteristics of middle-laterals, including their unique group identity formation, semi-permanent nature, and operational adaptability. It uses the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) 2.0 and BRICS Plus to illustrate what a middle-lateral looks like in practice. Park and Panda argue that middle-laterals play a critical role in addressing specific global challenges while complementing existing minilaterals and multilateral institutions. Read this article on the journal's website here.

Is There Anything “Strategically Stable” between Beijing and Washington? — Is There Anything “Strategically Stable” between Beijing and Washington?

This piece by Upamanyu Basu and Sriparna Pathak contextualizes that there is nothing strategic about US-China “strategic stability”; neither is there anything stable. Two reasons substantiate this. First, there is no visible agreement on the hardest questions between the two countries: Taiwan, maritime disputes, and nuclear arms were completely left out. Second, the “truce” has a clear political expiry date, tied to who sits next in Capitol Hill. A more accurate label for this relationship would be “deferred competition” rather than “strategic stability”, write Basu and Pathak. They further write that for New Delhi, the stakes are practical. Read this piece here.

China’s Regime Influence on Siliguri Corridor States: The Cases of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal — China’s Regime Influence on Siliguri Corridor States: The Cases of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal

China’s growing influence in South Asia extends beyond its global maritime ambitions to the political, economic, and strategic dynamics of its immediate neighborhood. This paper by Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis examines how Beijing shapes policy choices and political outcomes in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, three countries whose geopolitical significance is heightened by their proximity to the strategically vital Siliguri Corridor. It develops an analytical framework encompassing three dimensions of Chinese influence: geopolitical pressure, investment and trade, and cultural and narrative influence. The analysis explores how territorial disputes, gray-zone tactics, military activities, infrastructure development, and upstream water management serve as instruments of strategic leverage. It also assesses the implications of Chinese investment, particularly under the Belt and Road Initiative, for economic dependence and political autonomy. At the ideational level, the paper investigates Beijing’s efforts to promote the term “Xizang” instead of “Tibet” in international discourse, highlighting the relationship between linguistic conventions, sovereignty claims, and asymmetric power relations, writes Luszczykiewicz-Mendis. Read this Focus Asia paper here.

‘The more China makes claims of Japanese militarism, the more anti-China sentiment grows within Japan’: An Interview with Professor Kokubun Ryosei — ‘The more China makes claims of Japanese militarism, the more anti-China sentiment grows within Japan’: An Interview with Professor Kokubun Ryosei

Japan and China bilateral relations are currently facing severe strain. Following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November regarding a potential Taiwan contingency, and Beijing’s subsequent accusations of a Japanese “resurgence of militarism”, high-level dialogues and person-to-person exchanges have been canceled, military activity in and around the East China Sea has heightened, and China has implemented export controls on several Japanese companies and institutions. To understand whether this moment represents an unprecedented crisis or a familiar cyclical downturn, this Experts’ Take explores the intersecting historical, economic, and political patterns driving Tokyo and Beijing’s complex relationship today. To navigate these issues, Viktor Hellbom, Mathilde Huard, and Diana Nieto Cruz sat down with Professor Kokubun Ryosei, a leading authority on Sino-Japanese relations and Chinese domestic and foreign policy. Read this expert's take here.

What does China actually think about Sri Lanka? — What does China actually think about Sri Lanka?

Discussion of China and Sri Lanka in India and the West is often premised on Beijing’s strategic malevolence, and features phrases like ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ and ‘string of pearls’ to describe a supposed encirclement of India. China’s official language, by contrast, speaks of sincere friendship framed by decades of solidarity and a ‘shared future’. Neither picture survives close contact with more varied Chinese sources. Reading widely in official guidance to Chinese firms, diplomatic statements, and academic and think-tank commentary reveals a plurality of views. This issue brief by Anton Harder tries to separate what can be said with confidence from what cannot. Download and read the issue brief here.

Aligning South Korea’s AI Ambitions with Nordic ‘Green’ Technology — Aligning South Korea’s AI Ambitions with Nordic ‘Green’ Technology

This piece by Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen argues that by leveraging strong government-to-government ties, South Korea can partner with Nordic leaders like Denmark, Sweden, and Finland to bridge infrastructure gaps in green technology and overcome policy bottlenecks. She writes that collaborating with Sweden and Finland could enable South Korea to adopt automated smart mining and water-efficient refining methods, specifically. This would ensure that minerals used in semiconductor production meet future strict international standards, thereby safeguarding access to key export markets, particularly in Europe. Adopting Denmark’s advanced waste-heat recovery systems could enable South Korea to capture data center thermal energy for local heating and cooling networks, writes Rasmussen. As a result, this industrial symbiosis would help alleviate the effects of the projected 30 percent power demand surge by 2038 while lowering consumer energy costs, she writes further. Read this piece here.

Japan and India must prepare for the risks of China’s Medog dam — Japan and India must prepare for the risks of China’s Medog dam

This co-authored piece by Stephen Nagy and Jagannath Panda argues that the Medog project should compel Japan and India to reconsider the relationship between strategic connectivity and ecological security. China has the right to pursue development, but projects with potential transboundary consequences require transparency, consultation, and credible safeguards. Beijing should share relevant hydrological and operational information and permit meaningful scientific scrutiny, write Nagy and Panda. India and Japan, meanwhile, must recognize that securing northeastern connectivity requires protecting the river systems on which regional prosperity depends. They further write that the next major Himalayan disaster may originate beyond India’s borders, but its consequences could reach the infrastructure Tokyo and New Delhi are building together. Read this piece in The Japan Times here.

Events »

9 Nov

Research and Innovation Series (RIS) – Part XIII: Understanding Research Security in a Changing Global Environment. Insights from the Routledge International Handbook of Research Security
11 Nov

Korea-Nordic Forum 2026: Building Resilience Together
Stockholm
18 Nov

Rethinking the Welfare State: South Korea’s Demographic Shift and Nordic Lessons
23 Nov

Research and Innovation Series (RIS) – Part XI: Ukraine’s Defense Tech Revolution and Lessons from Beetroot Academy

Publications »

Middle-lateralism under international order transition: institutional design in an era of renewed great-power competition

Jae Jeok Park and Jagannath Panda

China’s Regime Influence on Siliguri Corridor States: The Cases of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal

Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis

‘The more China makes claims of Japanese militarism, the more anti-China sentiment grows within Japan’: An Interview with Professor Kokubun Ryosei

Ryosei Kokubun, Viktor Hellblom, Mathilde Huard and Diana Valeria Nieto Cruz

What does China actually think about Sri Lanka?

Japan and India must prepare for the risks of China’s Medog dam

Stephen R. Nagy and Jagannath Panda

Two Dependencies, Two Logics: Europe’s Economic Exposure to the United States and China

Niklas Swanström

ISDP Spotlight

China’s Silk Noose Raises Strategic Alarm: Third Stockholm Himalaya Forum Calls for Greater Indo-Pacific and Western Vigilance — China’s Silk Noose Raises Strategic Alarm: Third Stockholm Himalaya Forum Calls for Greater Indo-Pacific and Western Vigilance

Stockholm, October 16, 2026 — Strategic experts at the Third Stockholm Himalaya Forum today raised concerns about China’s transformation into an increasingly demanding, transactional, and strategically unpredictable actor. Participants said China’s expanding economic and security footprint, combined with limited transparency surrounding major infrastructure initiatives, had reinforced perceptions of Beijing as a potentially suspect strategic actor whose intentions require careful assessment.

ISDP and Forum 2000 Foundation Co-Organize Panel on Middle Powers and Technology Coalitions at Forum 2000 in Prague — ISDP and Forum 2000 Foundation Co-Organize Panel on Middle Powers and Technology Coalitions at Forum 2000 in Prague

Prague, October 13, 2026: The Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), in collaboration with the Forum 2000 Foundation, organized a special panel discussion titled “Guardians or Bystanders? Middle Powers, Technology Coalitions, and the Contest with Authoritarian Influence” at the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague, Czechia.

ISDP-TSE Conference on Development-Security Nexus in Semiconductors — ISDP-TSE Conference on Development-Security Nexus in Semiconductors

ISDP and the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science (TSE) jointly hosted a conference in Stockholm titled “Development-Security Nexus in Semiconductors: Prospects for Europe-East Asian Collaboration in an Uncertain Era”. This conference was funded by the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation. Given the essential role semiconductors play in modern society, the conference addressed increasingly important questions surrounding the industry’s future.

Looking back at the CAMCA Regional Forum 2026 — Looking back at the CAMCA Regional Forum 2026

Alongside the CAMCA Network and the Rumsfeld Foundation, ISDP’s Joint Center from the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, co-organized the CAMCA (Central Asia, Mongolia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan) Regional Forum in Baku. The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute organized the multilateral conference to bring together diplomats, politicians, business leaders, and regional experts to strengthen the regional dialogue that is needed to support the growing connectivity within the ten states that make up CAMCA.

The application period for ISDP’s spring 2027 internships is now open! — The application period for ISDP’s spring 2027 internships is now open!

Are you looking for work experience in the field of international security and development? Do you have a particular interest in Asia? Now is the time to apply for our spring 2027 internships! We look forward to receiving your application no later than November 8, 2026.

ISDP hosted a roundtable discussion with Jeffrey Stoff on the current research security environment in the United States and its global implications — ISDP hosted a roundtable discussion with Jeffrey Stoff on the current research security environment in the United States and its global implications

On October 5, the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) hosted a roundtable discussion with Jeffrey Stoff, Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at the Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS) and President of the Center for Research Security & Integrity. He presented the current research security environment in the United States and its global implications, ahead of meetings with policymakers in Stockholm to further discuss these issues.

ISDP participated in the Final Conference of the European Hub for Contemporary China (EuroHub4Sino) and a separate EuroHub4Sino Policy Roundtable in Brussels — ISDP participated in the Final Conference of the European Hub for Contemporary China (EuroHub4Sino) and a separate EuroHub4Sino Policy Roundtable in Brussels

ISDP participated in the Final Conference of the European Hub for Contemporary China (EuroHub4Sino) and a separate roundtable in Brussels. The closed-door Policy Roundtable brought together European China experts and policymakers for discussions on China, while the one-day Final Conference brought together leading China scholars, researchers, and policy experts from across Europe to discuss China’s domestic political and economic trajectory, technological and environmental developments, security and defense, and its evolving role in the international order.

ISDP hosted a roundtable discussion with Roy Kamphausen — ISDP hosted a roundtable discussion with Roy Kamphausen

On September 10, ISDP had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion with Roy Kamphausen, Special Advisor to the President and Senior Fellow for Chinese Security at The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). Building on Mr. Kamphausen’s expertise and knowledge of the topic, the discussion focused on the evolution of China’s military power, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and Chinese security.