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Maritime Order in Asia: Australia and the Indo-Pacific — Maritime Order in Asia: Australia and the Indo-Pacific

On March 31, 2026, the Indo-Pacific Research Centre (IPRC) and the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) co-organised a special online discussion featuring Professor Bec Strating on the theme of ‘Maritime Order in Asia: Australia and the Indo-Pacific’. This report summarizes Professor Bec Strating’s presentation, which explored Australia’s maritime security agenda. The discussion examined how Australia’s identity as an ocean-dependent state shapes its security outlook across the Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. It further explored Australia’s construction and promotion of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic maritime region amid shifting global power dynamics. In particular, the discussion focused on the context of intensifying the U.S.-China competition, uncertainty in traditional alliances, and the growing importance of middle powers’ engagement. Read the report here.

Chips, Code, and Control: Rewriting the Economics of Old Tech Wars — Chips, Code, and Control: Rewriting the Economics of Old Tech Wars

This issue brief by Abhivardhan and Jagannath Panda analyses that contemporary techno-geopolitics is no longer a unified “tech cold war,” but a fragmented competition across two distinct domains: semiconductors and artificial intelligence ecosystems. The semiconductor contest is shaped by export controls, manufacturing chokepoints, strategic denial, and industrial subsidies. By contrast, AI ecosystems remain more networked and commercially interoperable through data flows, cloud infrastructure, open-source models, and cross-border talent mobility, argue Abhivardhan and Jagannath Panda. This brief contends that states misread technological competition when they treat chips and AI as a single geopolitical battlefield. Read and download the brief here.

Surprising Results of the 2026 Local Elections in South Korea — Surprising Results of the 2026 Local Elections in South Korea

Youngho Cho and Hannah June Kim write that the 2026 local elections and concurrent legislative by-elections were widely expected to consolidate support for President Lee Jae-myung and the ruling Democratic Party. While the ruling party achieved substantial gains, the results do not constitute a clear or decisive mandate. Nor do they indicate a straightforward recovery for the opposition People Power Party, argue Cho and Kim. They further write that the elections instead reveal a more complex and fluid political landscape, characterized by persistent structural patterns, modest regional shifts, intra-party fragmentation, and growing challenges to electoral legitimacy. These dynamics will shape the trajectory of Korean politics in the coming years. Read this piece here.

India and the Grammar of Diplomacy: RELOS and Asymmetric Multipolarity — India and the Grammar of Diplomacy: RELOS and Asymmetric Multipolarity

Abhishek Pratap Singh and Kaustubh Tripathi, in this piece, analyze how the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics (RELOS) agreement reinforces India’s strategic autonomy by enabling defense logistics partnerships across rival geopolitical blocs. They argue that through agreements like LEMOA with the U.S. and RELOS with Russia, India sustains the policy flexibility and independent decision-making that define its multi-alignment approach to foreign policy. RELOS is the most concrete institutional expression of India's strategic autonomy to date, write Singh and Tripathi. Read this piece here.

The Social Dimensions of CPEC in Pakistan — The Social Dimensions of CPEC in Pakistan

This issue brief by Ajay Darshan Behera  examines the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a social and political process, not merely an infrastructure project. It argues that while CPEC has improved energy supply, connectivity and investment prospects, its benefits remain unevenly distributed. The analysis focuses on five dimensions: regional inequality, debt and transparency, gender, environment, and securitization. It shows that CPEC has strengthened older patterns of centralized decision-making and uneven development in Pakistan. Regions such as Balochistan and Gwadar face displacement, livelihood disruption, environmental stress, and limited participation in planning. Read and download this issue brief here.

Moving Past a Binary Framework: Openness and Security in International Research Collaboration — Moving Past a Binary Framework: Openness and Security in International Research Collaboration

The phrase “as open as possible and as closed as necessary” originated in 2016 as guidance for research data governance under the EU’s Horizon 2020 Open Research Data Pilot. Over the following decade, it migrated into national security guidelines, international policy frameworks, and institutional guidance as a governing principle for international research collaboration itself. This migration has had unintended consequences. This issue brief by David Biggs argues that openness and security are not competing goals but complementary and mutually reinforcing ones, and offers four recommendations for revising policy language to reflect that reality and better support the international research ecosystem it is meant to protect. Read and download the issue brief here.

Pax Silica: AI realigns global power balance — Pax Silica: AI realigns global power balance

Jagannath Panda writes for The Korea Times that Pax Silica represents something larger than a technology partnership. It reflects the emergence of a new Indo-Pacific strategic logic where semiconductors, cyber systems, digital networks, critical minerals and industrial resilience are becoming central pillars of regional order. The future balance of power in the Indo-Pacific will increasingly be determined not only by military strength but also by who builds the most trusted technological and economic ecosystems, writes Panda. He further writes that the Quad’s continued relevance lies precisely in its ability to adapt to this changing reality. Its success, however, will depend on how effectively it can build durable partnerships beyond its four members. Read this piece in The Korea Times here.

Events »

29 Jun

Digital Taiwan Lecture Series – Bridging Nordic Dual-Use Innovation and Taiwan’s Defense Ecosystem
22 Sep

Will China deliver? China’s next decade and the consequences for Europe: Final Conference – EuroHub4Sino
Brussels

Publications »

Maritime Order in Asia: Australia and the Indo-Pacific

Bec Strating, Anne Weiler, Sevil Khikmatova and Jagannath Panda

Chips, Code, and Control: Rewriting the Economics of Old Tech Wars

Abhivardhan and Jagannath Panda

The Social Dimensions of CPEC in Pakistan

Ajay Darshan Behera

Pax Silica: AI realigns global power balance

Jagannath Panda

Moving Past a Binary Framework: Openness and Security in International Research Collaboration

China, India, and the Emerging Green Divide

Lei Xie and Jagannath Panda

ISDP Spotlight

Looking back at Professor Ryosei Kokubun’s visit to Stockholm — Looking back at Professor Ryosei Kokubun’s visit to Stockholm

ISDP had the great pleasure of welcoming Professor Ryosei Kokubun, Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow, to Stockholm last week. During this stay, ISDP arranged a roundtable discussion on “Managing Sino-Japanese ties in the contemporary East Asian context” during which he presented future perspectives of the geopolitical balance in the East Asia region, highlighting the complex relations between China and Japan.

Roundtable with Dr. Shan-Jan Sarah Liu: Taiwanese Women’s Experiences in Taiwan’s Military — Roundtable with Dr. Shan-Jan Sarah Liu: Taiwanese Women’s Experiences in Taiwan’s Military

On June 4th, the Stockholm Taiwan Center had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion with Dr. Shan-Jan Sarah Liu. The roundtable discussion was moderated by Yi-Chieh Chen. Dr. Shan-Jan Sarah Liu is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Gender and Politics at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh. The discussion explored Dr. Liu’s findings from her research on Taiwanese women’s experiences in the military and was joined by ISDP research staff and experts from Stockholm’s academic community.

Niklas Swanström and Jagannath Panda participated in the 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue (UBD) International Conference — Niklas Swanström and Jagannath Panda participated in the 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue (UBD) International Conference

ISDP, represented by Dr. Niklas Swanström and Dr. Jagannath Panda, participated in the 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue (UBD) International Conference held in Ulaanbaatar. The Dialogue focused on critical themes such as security challenges and opportunities for peace in Northeast Asia, preventive diplomacy and mediation pathways, artificial intelligence and emerging security risks, regional connectivity between Northeast and Central Asia, and green power corridors linking the two regions.

ISDP welcomed a student group from Penn State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology — ISDP welcomed a student group from Penn State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology

On May 21, 2026, ISDP had the great pleasure of welcoming a student group from Penn State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology. Dr. Niklas Swanström, ISDP’s Executive Director, gave a presentation on the Institute, its research focuses, key issues related to research and innovation security, as well as Swedish security policy in relation to NATO and Russia. Afterwards, the students had the opportunity to ask questions and mingle with the ISDP team.

ISDP hosted an engaging academic interaction with Prof. T. V. Paul and Prof. Nabanita Chaddha Behera — ISDP hosted an engaging academic interaction with Prof. T. V. Paul and Prof. Nabanita Chaddha Behera

The Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) hosted an academic interaction titled “India’s Search for Major Power Status and the US-China Rivalry,” bringing together two distinguished scholars of international relations: Prof. T. V. Paul and Prof. Nabanita Chaddha Behera. The discussion explored India’s evolving strategic posture amid intensifying great power competition, particularly in the context of the growing US-China rivalry and the changing architecture of global politics.

Polish Perspectives on Research and Innovation Security: ISDP welcomed Marcin Grabowski for a roundtable discussion — Polish Perspectives on Research and Innovation Security: ISDP welcomed Marcin Grabowski for a roundtable discussion

The ISDP team had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion with Dr. Marcin Grabowski, Associated Senior Research Fellow with ISDP’s Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS). Marcin Grabowski presented current challenges concerning research and innovation security in Poland as well as core findings from “The Research and Education Security Report”.

Looking back at the Korea Foundation Guest Researcher Lieutenant General (ret.) Chun In-Bum’s stay in Stockholm — Looking back at the Korea Foundation Guest Researcher Lieutenant General (ret.) Chun In-Bum’s stay in Stockholm

During his stay at ISDP as a guest researcher (April 4th – May 10th), Lieutenant General (Ret.) In-bum Chun, a three-star general of the Republic of Korea Army, engaged in a series of high-level exchanges across Stockholm, all around his research into how middle powers adapt their defense postures to shifting security environments, with a focus on cognitive warfare, critical maritime infrastructure, and alliance adaptation.