ISDP and Forum 2000 Foundation Co-Organize Panel on Middle Powers and Technology Coalitions at Forum 2000 in Prague

Prague, October 13, 2026: The Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), in collaboration with the Forum 2000 Foundation, organized a special panel discussion titled “Guardians or Bystanders? Middle Powers, Technology Coalitions, and the Contest with Authoritarian Influence” at the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague, Czechia.

The panel examined the growing importance of middle powers in shaping the emerging international order amid intensifying US–China strategic competition. Discussions focused on the prospects for democratic technology coalitions, resilient supply chains, semiconductor cooperation, digital governance, green technologies, and sustainable infrastructure. Particular attention was devoted to how middle powers across Europe and the Indo-Pacific can strengthen strategic cooperation and respond to China’s expanding technological and geopolitical influence.

A major highlight of the event was the official release of two ISDP Stockholm Papers, The Silk Noose – Part I and The Silk Noose – Part II, produced under SCSA-IPA’s ongoing research initiative on China’s strategic influence architecture in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region. The reports examine China’s expanding connectivity corridors, infrastructure diplomacy, economic influence, and maritime ambitions, highlighting their wider implications for regional security and the Indo-Pacific strategic order.

The event underscored the importance of stronger cooperation between European and Indo-Pacific middle powers in advancing technological resilience, economic security, and a rules-based international order. It also reaffirmed ISDP’s commitment to fostering policy-oriented research and dialogue on emerging global strategic challenges.