ISDP Voices

As protests over the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman held by the morality police continue to sweep Iran for some time with people’s indignation over the perceived injustice showing no sign of subsiding, the trajectory of the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic posture appears to matter even less to Iranians than any other time. […]

ASEAN burst into life in 1967 with the creation of the Bangkok Declaration, which detailed the aims of the organization, to promote economic, social, cultural, and educational cooperation as well as regional peace and stability through an assemblance of justice, the rule of law, and the principles of the UN Charter. In a very real […]

China’s military drill in the Taiwan Strait following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan acted as an economic wake-up call for the European Union (EU). By weaponizing its geo-economic influence and blocking important trade routes, China exposed Europe´s concern regarding economic dependency in the region. Since 40 percent of EU trade passes through the Taiwan Strait, […]

Despite the fact that trade has been a major factor in the connection between China and Turkey since 200 BC, diplomatic ties between the two nations were not established until the 20th century. In the early 1920s, while Turkey was engaged in its own War of Independence, the last Dynasty in China was overthrown but […]

The United States launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) on May 23, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan. The announcement came almost 15 years to the day after the creation of the “Quad” in the Indo-Pacific. The IPEF – Indo-Pacific in name – appears to be part of a flood of initiatives taken by like-minded […]

Since Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine started in February 2022, Western countries, including the U.S. and its allies in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific, have been focusing on the war. This strategic attention shift has consequences not only for Europe but also the Indo-Pacific. A Russian victory could encourage China to follow Russia’s move and could […]

In his report to the Twentieth Party Congress, Xi Jinping hailed the Communist Party as the driving force behind China’s revolution and modernization; looking ahead, he expressed his conviction that only under the leadership of the Communist Party can the country’s rejuvenation be successfully completed. But he also pointed to some serious problems that had […]

In the last week of October 2022, the final round of Brazilian presidential elections will be held. The two contenders are the current president, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, a far-right politician temporarily affiliated with the Liberal Party, and the former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a center-left politician affiliated with the Workers’ Party. Foreign policy […]

With the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party just around the corner, Xi Jinping is poised to lock in a norm-breaking third term as the party’s General Secretary, marking the culmination of a decade-long quest for personal power. But with great power comes great responsibility, and one of those responsibilities is continuing to […]

The Chinese Communist Party’s leading members will gather in Beijing for the 20th Party Congress starting October 16. Xi Jinping is widely expected to accept an unusual third term in the Chinese political system’s highest office: General Secretary of the Communist Party. English-language media is already calling the 20th Party Congress a “coronation” for Xi, echoing earlier claims that […]