ISDP Voices

Growing competition in outer space provides India with a unique opportunity to shape a narrative in which collaboration, rather than confrontation, drives space exploration. Recognised as a trustworthy and cost-effective spacefaring nation, India is now well placed to translate its technological advances into enduring international partnerships that contribute to scientific progress, economic growth, and sustainable […]

When Argentina and Brazil signed cooperation agreements on green hydrogen certification with China at the China-CELAC Ministerial Forum in Beijing in May 2025, neither government had a domestic certification framework of its own. The gap between those two facts captures the problem this blogpost examines: the Southern Cone is building green hydrogen infrastructure under Chinese […]

Introduction With 2,383 documented cyber-attacks in 2025, the Republic of Korea (ROK, or South Korea) experienced a 26 percent increase from the previous year. A joint report by the ROK Ministry of Science and ICT and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) highlighted increased attacks on essential daily sectors—such as telecommunications, logistics, and finance—alongside supply-chain […]

As globalization fragments into competing blocs, interdependence is no longer a neutral feature of the world economy. It has become a source of geopolitical competition. The latest rounds of U.S. export controls on advanced semiconductors, Europe’s “de-risking” agenda, and growing tensions over clean-energy supply chains all point to the same reality: the networks that once […]

The numbers from Tashkent’s first international equity listing tell a striking story. Uzbekistan’s government raised US$604 million through the London Stock Exchange debut of its National Investment Fund (UzNIF) on May 13, 2026, making it London’s first major IPO of the year. Demand exceeded supply by a factor of four. Cornerstone investors, including asset managers […]

Introduction Modern security challenges have shown how even in the absence of armed conflict, countries can face significant instability. Among the most pressing of these challenges are demographic decline and aging populations. These trends pose not only economic challenges but, for countries like the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea), also create national security […]

Introduction Japanese-Iranian diplomacy dates back to 1880, when Tokyo’s first official delegation visited Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. Japan shifted from “quiet diplomacy” to direct Gulf engagement during the 1970s Oil Crisis, later sending special representatives to Iran after the 1979 revolution. Today, Japan’s strategic interests in Iran and the Middle East are multifaceted. Crucially, Japan […]

Introduction Taiwan started 2026 by registering economic growth at its fastest pace in 39 years, driven mainly by exports of AI technologies and semiconductors. However, to sustain this momentum, Taiwan must address a critical national challenge: labor shortages. Indeed, its demographic structure has changed drastically over the past decades, with a declining birth rate and […]

Introduction Local elections in South Korea (hereafter, Korea) have a relatively short and interrupted history. First introduced in 1952, they were held only three times (1952, 1956, and 1960) before being abolished after Park Chung-hee’s military coup in 1961. Park, who ruled Korea as an authoritarian modernizer until 1979, sought to establish a centralized and […]

The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics (RELOS)agreement between India and Russia was signed in February 2025, ratified by Moscow’s State Duma in late 2025, and kept low-profile by New Delhi, with virtually no official comments on its implications. When the Russian parliamentary ratification brought it into public view, the interpretive split was immediate: one faction of […]