ISDP Voices

North Korea-Russia relations have faced renewed international scrutiny since September 2022, when Pyongyang was first reported to be supplying artillery shells and rockets to Russia. The institutionalization of bilateral relations following Kim Jong Un’s September 2023 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the June 2024 signing of the North Korea-Russia Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, […]

As hybrid threats, cyberattacks, information warfare, pandemics, and critical infrastructure disruptions increasingly shape the global security environment, states are rediscovering an older but remarkably flexible doctrine: Total Defence. First articulated during the Cold War, Total Defence rests on a simple but powerful idea: national security is not the sole responsibility of the military but a […]

Introduction Over a century after its discovery, insulin remains a lifeline for millions with type 1 diabetes and is essential for over 60 million people with type 2 diabetes. Yet its access and diabetes burden continue to be a global concern. The number of people living with diabetes increased from 200 million in 1990 to […]

In May 2015, during the Obama administration, Chinese President Xi Jinping famously said that “the broad Pacific Ocean is vast enough to embrace both China and the United States” during his meeting with the then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. A decade later, Xi revived this message when he met President Trump during the U.S.-China […]

In the recently concluded parliamentary elections, Japan made history by electing its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Her victory gives the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a fresh lease on life and offers the prospect of greater political stability. This moment could mark a transformative phase in India-Japan relations, as the new leadership’s assertive […]

In March 2025, Myanmar was struck by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the effects of which were felt even in neighboring Thailand, altogether affecting over 17 million individuals. Notably, while countries like India and collective disaster management mechanisms under the aegis of Quad and ASEAN mobilized aid, BIMSTEC had no boots on ground. Given that BIMSTEC […]

In May 2025, at a manufacturing facility in Luoyang, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for continuous efforts to build the manufacturing industry stronger to advance Chinese modernization, stating: “China has always adhered to the path of developing the real economy. From the past reliance on imported matches, soap and iron, to now becoming the world’s […]

In July 2025, the United States enacted the GENIUS Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins), its first comprehensive federal framework for regulating stablecoins. The law requires issuers of dollar-denominated tokens to maintain one-to-one reserves in “high-quality liquid assets” (HQLA), with a strong emphasis on U.S. Treasury bills. At first glance, the Act […]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to India has been seen as a cautious step towards the gradual normalization of strained bilateral ties. Yet, it was his subsequent engagement in Kabul for the sixth China–Pakistan–Afghanistan trilateral dialogue that signaled a more consequential trend; the steady evolution of Beijing’s South Asia strategy. The meeting gained […]

Alzheimer’s disease represents one of the most formidable health challenges of our time, casting a shadow over millions of lives worldwide. The global burden of this neurodegenerative condition is staggering, with current estimates indicating that 57 million people worldwide are living with dementia, a figure that threatens to nearly triple to 139 million by 2050. […]