Institute for Security & Development Policy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Jagannath P. Panda

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

Jagannath P. Panda

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

Monish Tourangbam and Mayank Chari

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 […]

Books

Towards a Sustainable Arctic: International Security, Climate Change and Green Shipping

Michael Evan Goodsite and Niklas Swanström

The Arctic’s environment, economics, and politics are changing rapidly, and the conflicting interests among stakeholders mean that it lacks sustainable political and military cooperation. States bordering the Arctic — Russia, […]

Books & Monographs May, 2023
India-Japan-ASEAN Triangularity: Emergence of a Possible Indo-Pacific Axis?

Jagannath P. Panda

This book focuses on the scope, potential and future of the India-Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) trilateral. Through this book, contributors examine the strategic and global partnership between India […]

Books & Monographs September, 2022
Diogenes Issue on Global Ethics

Torbjörn Lodén

“A Global Ethic has a fundamental role to play not only in defining basic values but also in reaching transcultural consensus about the meaning of key notions such as ‘well-being’ […]

Books & Monographs March, 2023, Vol. 64 Issue 1-2, February 2017.
Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations

Jagannath P. Panda and Ernest Gunasekara-Rockwell

This book explores how the Quad Plus mechanism is set to reshape the global multilateral economic and security co-operations between Quad partner countries and the rest of the world. With […]

Books & Monographs June, 2022

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Latest Blog Posts

September 27 2023 by Stephen R. Nagy

September 27 2023 by Stephen R. Nagy
Canada-India Spat: Weighing in on the Indo-Pacific

Canada-India relations have reached a new low with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s public accusation in the Canadian Parliament that the Indian government may be involved in the June 2023 assassination of a Canadian citizen who was also a Sikh activist. This highly unusual public accusation was the result of intelligence services communicating to the Canadian […]
September 18 2023 by Joshua Bernard Espeña

September 18 2023 by Joshua Bernard Espeña
India’s Growing Naval Power: Converging Lessons for the Philippine Navy

India’s growing power depends on its reliance on the seas for commerce. The Indian Navy has ambitiously planned to have a 175-ship force by 2035 where most platforms would be indigenized. The Indian Navy also seeks to be capable of operating in both the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions. The Philippines too is stealthily rising as a middle power, yet with so much to […]
September 15 2023 by Gustavo A. Cardozo

September 15 2023 by Gustavo A. Cardozo
BRICS 2.0: Bigger, but Better?

In a world characterized by the increasing polarization between two giants, China and the U.S., as well as an apparently endless conflict in Eastern Europe, the BRICS, originally composed of Brazil, China, Russia, India, and South Africa, recently embarked on a bold expansion leading to the inclusion of six new members. This transformation of the […]

Most Popular

Pivotal States, Global South and India-South Korea Relations

Choong Yong Ahn and Jagannath P. Panda

In recent years, the term “Global South”—largely spanning countries in Africa, Central and Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean—has gained tremendous geopolitical currency. One of the most salient drivers of […]

Special Paper August, 2023
Assessing the Development of Taiwanese Identity

Bo-jiun Jing and Torbjörn Lodén

The subject of contemporary Taiwan inevitably evokes controversy concerning its political, national, and cultural identity, especially the fervent dispute regarding its sovereignty and global recognition. Should Taiwan be recognized as […]

Special Paper August, 2023
August 10 2023 by Jayesh Khatu

August 10 2023 by Jayesh Khatu
Macron offers a French Alternative to the South Pacific

As the great power rivalry of the 21st century is engulfing the South Pacific, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the region from July 24-29, 2023. His visit covered three important destinations – New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea – that carry a symbolic salience along with strategic significance for France, a resident power in […]

India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: Will It Get Subsumed by Its Grand Vision?

China’s Decision-making and the Border Dispute with India

Canada-India Spat: Weighing in on the Indo-Pacific

The French Connection: India-France Partnership for the Indo-Pacific Zeitgeist

What Comes Next for North Korea-Russia Relations?

Join ISDP: Right now we are looking for interns and a Research Fellow

Latest Publications

India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: Will It Get Subsumed by Its Grand Vision?

China’s Decision-making and the Border Dispute with India

The French Connection: India-France Partnership for the Indo-Pacific Zeitgeist

Books

Towards a Sustainable Arctic: International Security, Climate Change and Green Shipping

India-Japan-ASEAN Triangularity: Emergence of a Possible Indo-Pacific Axis?

Diogenes Issue on Global Ethics

Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations