ISDP Voices

Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference in December 2017 came a few days after the Russian president took part in the launch of the new Yamal LNG plant in the Russian Arctic, a $27 billion project aiming to overtake Qatar’s leadership in the gas sector. The biggest industrial project in the region, the plant is operated […]

Over the past few weeks a political crisis between the President and Supreme Court of the Maldives has been unfolding. With a population of just over 400,000 people, the former British protectorate is Asia’s smallest country by size and population and is probably best known for its idyllic beaches. However, this comes at a time […]

On December 31, 2017, China’s domestic ivory market was officially shut down. Considering that the trade accounted for more than half of worldwide ivory consumption, Beijing´s decision is seen as turning point, warmly greeted by wildlife conservationists as a major step in combatting animal trafficking and poaching. However, the question remains whether the ban will […]

2017 saw many changes in the geopolitical and security situation in East Asia and the world. The United States has arguably become more unpredictable, tensions with North Korea have reached all-time-highs, and China appears to be stepping up its role in the region. These geopolitical forces are pushing Japan in the direction that Prime Minister […]

Less than five months ago, South Korean president Moon Jae-in gave a speech at the UN General Assembly in which he outlined his dream of welcoming North Korean athletes into the opening stadium at the Pyeongchang Olympics, a joint Korean cheering squad receiving them as part of what he called a “march for peace”. With […]

Major General (ret.) Mats Engman identifies key risk management measures which could bring constructive developments to the renewed Inter-Korean military talks. Mats Engman is former Head of the Swedish delegation to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). He recently joined ISDP as a Distinguished Military Fellow.  The overall security situation on the Korean Peninsula is very […]

For much of 2017, President Trump’s foreign policy, the Sino-Indian military stand-off in the Himalayas, and North Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear program have dominated discourse on security issues in East Asia. Comparatively little attention has been paid to the complex relationship between Japan and China, despite the fact that it greatly affects regional and even global […]

The aftermath of COP 21 on Climate Change held in Paris in 2016 saw the withdrawal of a major global actor, the United States. The lack of commitment to environmental and climate-related matters the country has demonstrated under the Trump administration, gives China the opportunity to emerge as the new international standard-bearer of these issues. […]

Recent years have seen an increase in Japanese activity in Africa, something which has not gone unnoticed by China, a long-time player on the continent. Competition, largely in East and Sub-Saharan Africa, takes the form of winning infrastructure and development projects. However, such projects are far from simply economic, and the outcome of developments in […]

The meeting between high-level North and South Korean officials on January 9 was the first inter-Korean dialogue since December 2015. Following months of escalating tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the recent meeting offers a welcome opportunity to deescalate the mounting sense of crisis. The two sides agreed not only to North […]