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From Hormuz to the Eastern Mediterranean: India, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific’s Western Flank — From Hormuz to the Eastern Mediterranean: India, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific’s Western Flank

This blog piece by Roie Yellinek analyses that IMEC’s promise—shorter India–Europe transit, hydrogen and digital bridges, an expanded I2U2 logic—remains strategically sound. Yet, grand connectivity visions still die of under-financing, under-coordination, and under-security. A corridor that outruns a shared threat picture is a corridor on paper. The western flank supplies that missing threat picture: Hormuz disruption, Red Sea predation, and the need for a trusted Mediterranean pier are not optional footnotes to trade, writes Yellinek. They are the operating conditions of the trade. Without that security grammar, IMEC risks the fate of other connectivity schemes: announced with fanfare, executed slowly, and forgotten the first time a missile crosses a shipping lane, Yellinek writes further. Read this piece here.

Taiwan’s Electoral System and the 2026 Local Elections — Taiwan’s Electoral System and the 2026 Local Elections

Amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific and increasingly complex cross-Strait relations, Taiwan’s elections have drawn significant international attention. However, while election outcomes are widely discussed, the electoral system itself is often overlooked. Understanding how Taiwan’s elections are structured is essential, as electoral rules shape political representation, influence policymaking, and determine how political leaders are selected. This report summarizes the key takeaways from the webinar, starting with a map of Taiwan’s electoral system and its unique features. On November 28, 2026, Taiwan will hold local elections for city mayors, county magistrates, county councilors, township mayors, township councilors, and village chiefs for a four-year term. In the webinar, the speaker further explained these elections and used them to discuss Taiwan’s current political climate and related issues. Read the full webinar report here.

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

A question often raised is how dependent Europe is on the outside world, as if there were a single measure of dependence. Niklas Swanström argues that there is not. In this issue brief, Swanström argues that Europe’s exposure to the United States (U.S.) and China differs in kind, not merely in degree. Europe’s dependency on the U.S. is concentrated in the financial and security sectors, and is demand-driven, comprising equity co-movement, dollar-denominated earnings, and deep, mutual investment ties that tend to stabilize rather than threaten. In contrast, Europe’s dependency on China is more physical and input-based, centered on rare earths, magnets, pharmaceuticals, solar, and clean-tech; reinforced through state-owned stakes in ports and grids; potentially weaponizable within days; and largely unreduced despite de-risking rhetoric, writes Swanström. Read the complete analysis here.

China-Russia Relations: Where Is the Partnership Limit Between the Two Powers? — China-Russia Relations: Where Is the Partnership Limit Between the Two Powers?

Danylo Stonis writes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exposed and tested the limits of the “no limit friendship” between Russia and China, showing that their interests do not always coincide. The declaration of boundless partnership against a backdrop of uncertainty regarding each other’s intentions, further exacerbated by inequalities in economic, geopolitical, and military spheres, creates conditions for conflicting geopolitical interests in regions where their spheres of influence overlap, writes Stonis. In other words, this brief analyzes China-Russia relations in the regions where their interests clash most, assesses the intensity of their strategic partnership, and hypothesizes possible scenarios for its future development. Read and download this brief here.

From Silk Cage to Silk Noose-II: The Bay of Bengal Nexus: China’s Corridor Statecraft from BCIM (CMBC) to the Indochina Peninsula Stockholm Center — From Silk Cage to Silk Noose-II: The Bay of Bengal Nexus: China’s Corridor Statecraft from BCIM (CMBC) to the Indochina Peninsula Stockholm Center

This Stockholm Paper, the second in the ‘From Silk Cage to Silk Noose’ series, examines the Bay of Bengal as an increasingly consequential theater of China’s regional statecraft. The ‘Silk Noose’ concept describes the cumulative strategic effect of relationships across economic, military, and other domains that can progressively narrow the room for maneuver of smaller states and alter the regional balance in China’s favor. As such, the Silk Noose should be understood as a process rather than an end. Edited by Jagannath Panda and Tristan Eng, this volume attempts to illustrate this process by bringing together analyses from various experts and scholars covering issues of hydro-geoeconomics; the evolution beyond BCIM; the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor; Myanmar’s political and military relationship with Beijing; China’s expanding role in Bangladesh; the blue economy; maritime strategy; and economic coercion. Read and download this Stockholm paper here.

Hybrid Threats Overview: Baltic Sea Factsheet — Hybrid Threats Overview: Baltic Sea Factsheet

Today, the Baltic Sea region is one of the principal arenas of strategic rivalry between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia. Its highly developed digital infrastructure, extensive energy and transport networks, and proximity to Russia make it particularly vulnerable to hybrid threats targeting critical infrastructure, democratic institutions, and societal resilience. This factsheet examines the main tools of hybrid warfare and highlights trends in Russian hybrid activities targeting the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries. It concludes with an overview of the current hybrid threat landscape in the Baltic Sea region.

The U.S.-Venezuela Oil Deal: A Geopolitical Loss for China — The U.S.-Venezuela Oil Deal: A Geopolitical Loss for China

Following U.S. Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the United States and the interim Venezuelan government, led by former vice president Delcy Rodríguez, have been working to reach an accommodation that would see Venezuela begin to democratize and U.S. interests represented. On August 28, an agreement took effect that transferred oil fields primarily operated by Chinese and Russian companies to American control. This piece by Christopher Peterstam analyses the Chinese response to this U.S.-Venezuela oil deal and argues that such a deal is a geopolitical loss for China. Read this piece here.

Events »

19 Oct

Research and Innovation Series (RIS) – Part XII: Australia’s Approach to Research and Innovation Security: Protecting Open Science and International Collaboration
11 Nov

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

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

Publications »

Taiwan’s Electoral System and the 2026 Local Elections

Ching-Hsin Yu, Yi-Chieh Chen and Haitske Pottinga

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

Niklas Swanström

China-Russia Relations: Where Is the Partnership Limit Between the Two Powers?

From Silk Cage to Silk Noose-II: The Bay of Bengal Nexus: China’s Corridor Statecraft from BCIM (CMBC) to the Indochina Peninsula

Jagannath Panda, Tristan Eng, Lei Xie, Katarzyna Anna Nawrot, Su Myat Thwe, Mark S. Cogan, Sanjay Pulipaka, Shahab E. Khan, Jessica C. Liao, J. Mohan Malik and Stephen R. Nagy

Hybrid Threats Overview: Baltic Sea Factsheet

Melita Phachulia and Gustav Bremer

What Does the CISPA Case Tell Us About Research Security and Cooperation with China? An Interview with Dr. Alicia Hennig

Alicia Hennig and Melita Phachulia

ISDP Spotlight

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.