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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.

When Loyalty Becomes Liability: The Fall of Zhang Youxia and Xi’s Grip on the PLA — When Loyalty Becomes Liability: The Fall of Zhang Youxia and Xi’s Grip on the PLA

Fatoumata Diallo writes that the fall of Zhang Youxia underscores that the current phase of PLA restructuring is driven less by corruption than by the enforcement of centralized political authority at the highest level of command. While leadership turnover may generate short-term frictions, the prevailing trajectory points toward continuity- and potentially higher risk tolerance- in China’s military posture toward Taiwan rather than restraint, writes Fatoumata Diallo. Read this piece here.

Elimination of Tropical Diseases: Strengthening Collective Action in a Fragmented World — Elimination of Tropical Diseases: Strengthening Collective Action in a Fragmented World

Viola Savy Dsouza and Sanjay Pattanshetty write that eradicating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is achievable. They argue that effective medicines exist, interventions are proven, and global manufacturing capacity, resilient supply chains, and a trained health workforce anchored in good governance are the enablers of scale and continuity. Leaders must now institutionalize elimination as a core public obligation, shaping not only the future of NTDs but also the credibility of global health commitments in an increasingly fragmented world, the authors argue. Read this piece by Viola Savy Dsouza and Sanjay Pattanshetty here.

After Davos 2026: Entering an Age of Contested Orders — After Davos 2026: Entering an Age of Contested Orders

Jagannath Panda writes that the gathering of political and economic leaders at Davos 2026 no longer resembled a ritual defence of a “rules-based international order.” Instead, it felt like a post-mortem. It also revealed a rare moment of collective acknowledgement that the existing order is not merely under strain but is being actively renegotiated. Amid all the talk of tariffs, leverage, and the “law of the strongest,” the central question that emerged is not whether the global order is fragmenting, but what kind of order is replacing it, who will shape it, and at whose cost, asks Panda. He further raises: Are we entering a world of bargains over principles? Can sovereignty endure under transactional geopolitics? And does this moment create space for deeper Europe–Asia cooperation, or does it accelerate strategic drift? Read this piece here.

Triangular Tensions and Tactical Cooperation: PRC–DPRK–Russia — Triangular Tensions and Tactical Cooperation: PRC–DPRK–Russia

Niklas Swanström writes that the China–DPRK–Russia relationship between 2020 and 2025 reflects a series of strategic interactions marked by intensified bilateral cooperation alongside enduring tensions and competitive dynamics. Rather than constituting a cohesive anti-Western alliance, the three states operate through overlapping bilateral ties driven by short-term tactical interests, and deeper integration is constrained by structural limits, writes Swanström. While the relationship exceeds a mere marriage of convenience, it should not be mistaken for a values-based trilateral alliance. Instead, it is largely reactive and oppositional in orientation, argues Swanström. Read and download this Focus Asia paper here.

Combating Maritime Insecurity: EU and NATO’s strategic role against shadow fleet in the Indo-Pacific — Combating Maritime Insecurity: EU and NATO’s strategic role against shadow fleet in the Indo-Pacific

This piece by Ines Vassort argues that shadow fleet expansion in recent years highlights the importance of international collaboration to safeguard regional security and stability. It reflects the willingness of some nations to pursue their national interests without considering environmental, economic, or military risks. Increasing the EU’s and NATO’s countermeasures against shadow fleets in the Indo-Pacific region is crucial for global actors, as long as they respect regional methods and interests, writes Ines Vassort. She further argues that enhancing collaboration on this issue on an equal basis will improve detection, prevention, and counteraction against shadow fleet deployments and reduce their impact. Read this piece here.

Balancing Engagement and Confrontation: Taiwan’s Strategic Approach to National Security — Balancing Engagement and Confrontation: Taiwan’s Strategic Approach to National Security

Taiwan has long faced security threats from China, with different ruling parties adopting either engagement or confrontation as their policy approaches, each having its supporters and specific contexts of applicability. This issue brief by Shiau-Shyang Liou argues that as China’s threats intensify, Taiwan must seek a balance between engagement and confrontation while fostering domestic consensus. To this end, Taiwan should formulate a guiding National Security Strategy to help the public better understand the security environment, writes Liou. However, an overly detailed strategy could undermine deterrence effectiveness; therefore, issuing a concise version that preserves strategic ambiguity would be a feasible option to articulate national core interests, build societal consensus, and provide a foundation for adjusting cross-Strait policy, argues Shiau-Shyang Liou. Read and download the brief here.

Nordic-Korea Cooperation in the Arctic : A Necessity to Continue the Green Energy Transition? — Nordic-Korea Cooperation in the Arctic : A Necessity to Continue the Green Energy Transition?

This report summarizes the main takeaways from the webinar to pinpoint potential and challenges in expanding the Nordic countries and South Korea in the Arctic region. A Korean version is also available after the English version. The webinar’s objective was to explore areas of synergies of cooperation in the Arctic, identify policy pathways, and outline practical steps for future cooperation between the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly referred to as South Korea, and the Nordic nations, especially in the field of green energy transition. The webinar was recorded and made available on YouTube. Read and download the report here.

Events »

4 Feb

Gender Polarization among the Youth in South Korea: Predictors, Military Consequences, and Insights from Sweden
17 Feb

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

Publications »

After Davos 2026: Entering an Age of Contested Orders

Jagannath Panda

Triangular Tensions and Tactical Cooperation: PRC–DPRK–Russia

Niklas Swanström

Balancing Engagement and Confrontation: Taiwan’s Strategic Approach to National Security

Shiau-Shyang Liou

Nordic-Korea Cooperation in the Arctic : A Necessity to Continue the Green Energy Transition?

Niklas Swanström and Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen

Resilient Science: Transatlantic Challenges and Opportunities; Interview with Alicia Hennig and David Biggs

Melita Phachulia, Alicia Hennig and David Biggs

India-Sweden Strategic Compass: A Bi-Monthly Newsletter; November-December 2025

Ines Vassort, Anahita Poursafir, Tristan Eng and Jagannath Panda

ISDP Spotlight

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.

ISDP hosted a seminar on “Peace by Partnership: Europe and Korea in the New Geopolitics of Northeast Asia” — ISDP hosted a seminar on “Peace by Partnership: Europe and Korea in the New Geopolitics of Northeast Asia”

On November 7, the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) hosted an in-person seminar bringing together experts from Sweden and Europe, and Korea to discuss evolving geopolitical dynamics and key issues, including regional security, Russia-China-North Korea coordination, Korea-Japan relations, the China-Taiwan issue, inter-Korean relations, prospects for Nordic/EU-Korea cooperation.