Institute for Security & Development Policy

Search

North Korea’s Ascension as a Global Player: Security Implications and Diplomatic Challenges — North Korea’s Ascension as a Global Player: Security Implications and Diplomatic Challenges

This issue brief by Gabriela Bernal covers how the structural shift in North Korea’s global position carries profound implications. The brief analyses how DPRK's global stature is impacting the geopolitical issues around the globe including accelerated North Korean military modernization through Russian support; diminished South Korean leverage in inter-Korean relations; heightened risks of multi-theater great-power conflict involving the U.S., China, and Russia; and increased European exposure to DPRK military activity. The author writes that to tackle an increasingly emboldened Kim Jong Un, Washington must urgently prioritize getting the North Koreans back to the negotiating table to prevent deeper DPRK-Russia military cooperation and further enhancement of North Korea’s nuclear and conventional military capabilities. While this may require the U.S. to “acknowledge” the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state, continuing down the current path could prove far more risky to the U.S. and its allies in the long term, writes Gabriela Bernal.

Tibet at the Edge of a Tipping Point: Stockholm Forum Calls on COP30 to Confront the Mounting Climate Emergency — Tibet at the Edge of a Tipping Point: Stockholm Forum Calls on COP30 to Confront the Mounting Climate Emergency

Stockholm, October 16, 2025: The Second Stockholm Forum on Himalaya, held at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), delivered an urgent and resonant message to the international community: the climate crisis unfolding in Tibet can no longer remain absent from global climate diplomacy. Bringing together scholars, policy practitioners, and analysts from Europe, Asia, and the Indo-Pacific, the forum made a compelling case that the Tibetan Plateau-often referred to as the ‘Third Pole’- must be recognised as a central pillar in any serious discussion of global climate governance. As preparations intensify for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the Forum’s proceedings echoed with a shared conviction that Tibet must be placed firmly on the UNFCCC agenda.

It’s Time for India to Partner Strategically With the Visegrad Four — It’s Time for India to Partner Strategically With the Visegrad Four

This piece, co-authored by Swati Prabhu, Matej Šimalčík, and Jagannath Panda, analyses how India’s engagement with the Central European countries has historically been weak, and why it’s time for that to change. These authors write in a recent policy paper published by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies that Europe at large and the Visegrad Four (V4) countries—Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia—in particular, need to deepen their engagement with India. Having said that, India’s neutral position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains a bone of contention for the West. Yet, India’s efforts to bolster regional integration through bolstering partnerships with the European Union (EU) via connectivity initiatives like India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), signing Free Trade Agreements recently with the UAE, UK, EFTA countries, and pushing for a speedy FTA conclusion with the EU. India is also actively working on strengthening its domestic manufacturing base to ease supply chains are critical points. Read this piece co-authored by Swati Prabhu, Matej Šimalčík, and Jagannath Panda here in The Diplomat.

Report of the Climate Crisis in Tibet–Part V: Population Politics of Tibet: What Does It Mean to Social and Environmental Conditions? — Report of the Climate Crisis in Tibet–Part V: Population Politics of Tibet: What Does It Mean to Social and Environmental Conditions?

This webinar, organized by the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), was held on September 4, 2025, as the fifth in a series on the ‘Climate Crisis in Tibet’. This series seeks to address China’s long-term strategy for Tibet and its implications for social and environmental conditions. In this webinar, discussants examined Beijing’s comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach aimed at fully integrating Tibet into the Chinese nation-state, marked by intensified urbanization, displacement, and assimilation policies. Experts in this webinar addressed a few critical questions: What are the main goals behind China’s population and urbanization policies in Tibet, and how do they reflect broader state interests in national integration and territorial control? How have infrastructure developments facilitated demographic shifts in Tibet, and what are the social and cultural consequences of increased Han migration into the region? To what extent can the relocation of Tibetan villagers and the erosion of nomadic pastoral lifestyles be seen as forced assimilation rather than development or modernization? Read the webinar report here.

Whither Tibet in the Climate Crisis Agenda? — Whither Tibet in the Climate Crisis Agenda?

The Tibetan Plateau is undergoing one of the most dramatic and least scrutinized ecological transformations in the world today. It is warming at more than twice the global average: glaciers are retreating, permafrost is thawing, grasslands are degrading, and the rhythms of water flow that support life across much of Asia are being disrupted. These are not abstract shifts—they are crisis conditions. This Stockholm paper emerges from a growing recognition that Tibet lies at the nexus of some of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change, environmental justice, Indigenous rights, regional security, and the politics of development. It draws on a wide range of scholarly, policy, and civil society perspectives to provide a consolidated set of recommendations across 10 thematic areas— from transboundary water governance to climate accountability and rights-based environmental protection. At its core is a call for greater international engagement in ensuring that the Tibetan Plateau is not rendered invisible in global climate discourse. Read and download this Stockholm paper here.

Why the Republic of Korea Matters to the Nordic Countries — Why the Republic of Korea Matters to the Nordic Countries

The global situation is increasingly insecure, with, among others, an unpredictable U.S. isolating itself from traditional allies, a Sino-American geopolitical struggle that threatens to destabilize international affairs. Both the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Nordic states are in this scenario, striving to reestablish collaboration with the U.S while also diversifying their relations to mitigate dangers to their national security by boosting cooperation with like-minded allies. This Asia paper by Niklas Swanström, Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen, and Jeenou Yi aims to highlight some current areas of cooperation with the intent of emphasizing the importance and compatibility of Nordic-ROK cooperation, which has remained relatively covert, as well as projecting the attractiveness of enterprises and government officials in the nations to foster more collaboration in areas of immediate synergies. We identify current synergies between the ROK and the Nordic countries in renewable energy, Arctic investments, technology, and defense cooperation. This Asia paper does not seek to offer a comprehensive list of cooperation, but rather to highlight impact and feasible areas of collaboration that can be launched in the near future. Download and read this Asia paper by Niklas Swanström, Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen, and Jeenou Yi here.

Made in China 2025: From Assembly Lines to Innovation Frontiers — Made in China 2025: From Assembly Lines to Innovation Frontiers

Nistha Kumari Singh & Amrita Jash write on China's flagship initiative, 'Made in China 2025'. They argue that a decade after its launch in 2015, this flagship initiative of the Chinese government has fundamentally reshaped and transformed China’s industrial landscape, positioning digitalization, networking, and intelligentization at the center of its economic rise. The ultimate goal is to reduce China’s dependence on foreign technology while promoting Chinese high-tech manufacturers in the global marketplace. Beyond closing the technological gaps with Western powers, MIC reflects Beijing’s ambition to assert leadership in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), write Singh and Jash. This raises a more nuanced debate: Is China, through MIC, reshaping the global rules of industrial and technological competition, and what systematic challenges or opportunities does this present for domestic stakeholders and international competitors? Read this piece here.

The Hidden Fiscal Dividend of Stablecoins — The Hidden Fiscal Dividend of Stablecoins

Monique Taylor writes that the recently enacted GENIUS Act of the United States appears, at first glance, to be a piece of consumer-protection legislation, designed to bring order to a once-unregulated corner of digital finance. However, its significance runs deeper. By tying stablecoin issuance to Treasury securities, Washington has effectively hardwired a rapidly growing segment of digital finance into the very foundations of U.S. fiscal power, argues Taylor. She further writes that what began as a stopgap for volatile cryptocurrency markets has been transformed into a mechanism for recycling global liquidity into U.S. debt markets. Stablecoins, once dismissed as speculative assets or vehicles for illicit finance, now represent a hidden but potentially consequential fiscal dividend for the United States, writes Taylor.

Publications »

North Korea’s Ascension as a Global Player: Security Implications and Diplomatic Challenges

Gabriela Bernal

Tibet at the Edge of a Tipping Point: Stockholm Forum Calls on COP30 to Confront the Mounting Climate Emergency

Jagannath Panda, Niklas Swanström, Eerishika Pankaj, Charles Parton, Jiayi Zhou, Linus Zhang, Ute Wallenböck, Sriparna Pathak, Richard Ghiasy, Dattesh D. Parulekar, Tsering Topgyal, Astha Chadha, Rahul Karan Reddy and Shruti Kapil

The picture shows the Indian flag overlapping the EU flag

It’s Time for India to Partner Strategically With the Visegrad Four

Swati Prabhu, Matej Šimalčík and Jagannath Panda

Webinar Report-V: Climate Crisis in Tibet – Population Politics of Tibet: What Does It Mean to Social and Environmental Conditions?

Jarmila Ptáčková, Anton Harder, Kalpit A. Mankikar, Carole McGranahan, Tristan Eng, Anahita Poursafir, Ines Vassort and Jagannath Panda

Why the Republic of Korea Matters to the Nordic Countries

Niklas Swanström, Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen and Jeenou Yi

ISDP Spotlight

The application period for our spring 2026 internships is now open! — The application period for our spring 2026 internships is now open!

Are you looking for work experience in the field of international security and development? Do you have a particular interest in Asia? Now is the time to apply for our spring 2026 internships: We are looking for interns for our China Center, Korea Center, Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, and Taiwan Center. We are also looking for an intern to work with the Asia Program and Center for Research and Innovation Security more broadly. Application deadline: October 20, 2025.

Ethical Challenges in Research & Cooperation: ISDP welcomed Alicia Hennig for a fireside discussion — Ethical Challenges in Research & Cooperation: ISDP welcomed Alicia Hennig for a fireside discussion

On October 13, the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) team had the pleasure of hosting a fireside discussion with Dr. Alicia Hennig, Associated Senior Research Fellow, who shared her first-hand insights into China’s academic environment, government structure, and ethical challenges in research and cooperation.

Meet ISDP’s Fall 2025–26 Intern Cohort — Meet ISDP’s Fall 2025–26 Intern Cohort

Every semester, the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) provides an internship opportunity open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates. Our current interns are reflecting on their first impressions of the institute and sharing what they’re most looking forward to as their internships progress.

ISDP’s Stockholm China Center held a roundtable discussion with the Huayang Center from China — ISDP’s Stockholm China Center held a roundtable discussion with the Huayang Center from China

Our China Center held a closed-door roundtable discussion with a delegation from the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance (Huayang Center), who were visiting research institutions and think-tanks across Europe. Titled “Prospects and Challenges of Sino-Nordic/European Relations in Changing Global Orders,” the discussion brought together experts from China and Sweden to assess pressing issues of mutual concern and explore viable paths forward.

The Stockholm Korea Center hosted young professionals for the Nordic-Korea Next Generation Training Program 2025 — The Stockholm Korea Center hosted young professionals for the Nordic-Korea Next Generation Training Program 2025

Last week, ISDP’s Korea Center had the pleasure of hosting four outstanding young professionals from the Nordic region for the Nordic-Korea Next Generation Training Program, which began with a three-day training session in Stockholm from September 3rd to 5th. The four participants, all of whom share a strong interest in Korea, were given lectures on a variety of contemporary topics pertaining to the Korean Peninsula by leading experts from around the world, including Korea.