ISDP Voices

As tensions escalate between the U.S. and North Korea, Seoul finds itself with little room to improve inter-Korean relations argues Alec Forss. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Democratic Party swept into power last May pledging to institute a fresh start in relations with North Korea. After nearly a decade of conservative governments which […]

Partners in Practice Beijing has committed itself to an increasingly outward looking policy platform that emphasizes infrastructure improvements and a more visible global security presence and peacekeeping program. In doing so, China has joined more traditional sponsors of aid and development assistance, most notably the US and EU. At the same time, new political discourses […]

A key promise in the Brexit bandwagon was that after Brexit, Britain could negotiate trade deals with whomever they liked. After all, Britain hasn’t negotiated an independent trade treaty since 1973. Seemingly, Britain could offset the negative implications of leaving the single market by crafting new trade deals with partners like China. There is some merit […]

On September 1, Japan’s opposition Democratic Party (DP) held a leadership election pitting former Minister of Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara against former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. Although Maehara won, setbacks in the first weeks along with long-term challenges on politics and on policy indicate that much more than a new leader is likely needed […]

As the international community stands again on the brink of nuclear crisis, some have speculated whether an Iran-style “solution” is possible in the case of North Korea. While Pyongyang has accelerated its nuclearization, Tehran struck a deal in 2015 to relinquish its nuclear weapons ambitions. Closer analysis of the two countries’ programs and differences, however, […]

Last month’s joint military training exercise between Russia and China in the Baltic prompted much discussion on the nature of Sino-Russian relations in the post-Crimea annexation era. Moreover, it also marked the first time the Chinese navy, the PLA-N, has deployed in the Baltic Sea. The presence of Chinese warships was looked upon with a […]

Invest in Europe This month, the European Commission began to draft a proposal designed to constrain Chinese investment in Europe. This comes at a time when the EU is playing a major role in the future of the Chinese economy. The EU is now the principal recipient of Chinese foreign investment. In 2015, China’s investment […]

On August 3, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe reshuffled his Cabinet for the third time since winning reelection in 2014. The changes came after a series of scandals this year which have damaged approval ratings and culminated in a landslide election loss in Tokyo. 14 out of 20 ministers are new, and key positions to […]

On June 23, election campaigns started for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly – the city’s local legislature. The elections, which take place on July 2, are seen as a referendum on Governor Yuriko Koike’s mandate to “clean up Tokyo’s politics”, but also, as a test for Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) which has experienced declining […]

Over recent years, Japan’s constitution has been hotly debated. In large part dictated by the allied authorities at the end of World War Two, it is sometimes called the “Peace Constitution,” since its Article 9 stipulates that, “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of […]