ISDP Voices

On November 28, Hondurans will take to the polls in a presidential election that will likely have a major impact on the Central American nation’s foreign policy. Popular opposition candidate Xiomara Castro de Zelaya has publicly pledged to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (RoC), to Mainland China (the PRC). Castro […]

The 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) sixth plenary session held in Beijing from November 8 to 11 is one of the most important events on the CCP´s political agenda. The plenum is held at a special time as 2021 marks the CCP’s centennial and reviewed the nation and the party’s achievements […]

On September 15, US president Biden, Australian Prime Minister Morrison, and British Premier Johnson announced a new trilateral security alliance, known as AUKUS. Even though the official announcement did not make any particular reference to China, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry reacted swiftly by calling AUKUS “extremely irresponsible.” A ministerial spokesperson later doubled down and proclaimed that […]

On October 5th, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) hosted the third annual Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) summit. Officials and industry leaders gathered in Tokyo to discuss how the TCFD guidelines can improve the transparency of climate engagement. Green accounting, a regulatory practice of increasing interest, might provide a shortcut […]

This week marks the 50th anniversary of China and Lebanon establishing diplomatic relations in November 1971. Much has changed since then for both Beijing and Beirut, but the history of the relationship is revealing of some key forces driving both countries’ foreign relations. China is building closer relations with Middle Eastern states, part of a […]

(This is the second blog post in a series of similar posts on gender equality in South Korea – Click here for the first post in the series) Last year, South Korea’s population declined for the first time, with the fertility rate dropping to an all-time low. Although an increase in unemployment and falling incomes […]

(This is the first blog post in a series of similar posts on gender equality in South Korea – Click here for the second post in the series) As the 2022 South Korean presidential election draws nearer, political parties and candidates have begun to proclaim their ambitions. Among them is the newly elected chairman of the main […]

A key element of Deng Xiaoping’s approach to governance was to transform the Chinese communist system into a market-oriented model to achieve economic growth and modernization. Socialism with Chinese characteristics emphasized private sector coexistence with state-owned enterprises (SOEs). However, Xi Jinping has taken steps to reverse this trend by introducing regulations such as anti-monopoly restrictions, […]

The newly released ROK 2022-2026 Midterm Defense Plan promises sharper swords and stronger shields following the termination of US missile guidelines earlier this year. It is a continued evolution of President Moon’s two-tier inter-Korean strategy of promoting dialogue while simultaneously expanding military capabilities. However, the heavy focus on developments within ISR, C41 and BMD (see […]

On July 2nd, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga hosted the Ninth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, also known as PALM. As with other major meetings taking place during a global pandemic, this year’s PALM was held virtually, with bilateral talks being held in the runup to the actual summit. The Japanese government is no stranger to […]