Institute for Security & Development Policy

The French Connection: India-France Partnership for the Indo-Pacific Zeitgeist

India’s bilateral relationship with France is on the rise, and a test case for maintaining a distinct trajectory of its own allowing enough elbow room to both countries to practice their respective strategic autonomies. This issue brief by Monish Tourangbam and Mayank Chari analyzes that the partnership between India and France is one of equals based on complementariness of interest and congruence of intent. The complex geo-politics and geo-economics of the Indo-Pacific would require navigating areas of competition, cooperation, and confrontation. The issue brief further argues that New Delhi and Paris are well positioned through their worldviews to lend a sense of pragmatism in the Indo-Pacific, beyond the binary expectations of “either you are with us, or against us”. India and France through their terms of engagements sans entanglements could provide a primer for the webs of new partnerships and alignments in the Indo-Pacific, argues strongly Monish Tourangbam and Mayank Chari.

What Comes Next for North Korea-Russia Relations?

Gabriela Bernal and Sangsoo Lee review the growing chemistry between Russia and North Korea. They ague that North Korea and Russia have taken their relations to a new level after the leaders of the two countries held an in-person summit meeting last week. While Pyongyang and Moscow have enjoyed close ties since the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1948, the relationship is seeing a significant upgrade. The visit by Kim Jong Un to Russia shows the world that North Korea has more than just China to rely on and, in fact, has its own “bloc” alliance comprising its two closest diplomatic partners. The development is particularly noteworthy in the context of an increasingly strong Japan-South Korea-U.S. trilateral, writes Bernal and Lee.

Join ISDP: Right now we are looking for interns and a Research Fellow

Are you interested in working in a dynamic and international environment? Right now, we are looking for new team members! The application period for our spring 2024 internships is now open. Specifically, we are looking for interns for our Asia Program, China Center, and Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, supervised by the respective Head of Center/ Program. We have an open position for a Research Fellow at ISDP's Stockholm China Center: Do you have experience in the fields of international relations, global policy or journalism? Do you possess a keen interest in Chinese foreign and security policy? If you are eager to work in a dynamic environment and make a meaningful impact in the policy arena, we warmly invite you to apply!

India’s Growing Naval Power: Converging Lessons for the Philippine Navy

Joshua Bernard Espeña writes on the rise of India as a maritime power and draws lessons for Philippines. He argues that India’s growing power depends on its reliance on the seas for commerce. The Indian Navy has ambitiously planned to have a 175-ship force by 2035 where most platforms would be indigenized. The Indian Navy also seeks to be capable of operating in both the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions. The Philippines too is stealthily rising as a middle power, yet with so much to prove and improve on its naval preponderance. As India-Philippines defense relations are poised to grow, it is apt to think about the lessons that India’s growing naval power can provide for the Philippine Navy. He further writes that for the Philippine Navy, it must learn all navies’ experiences—big or small—so that it may present itself as a credible tool for the Philippines’ steady middle power preponderance at sea. This is most crucial at a time when it seeks to become a credible regional player with something to contribute to the rules-based order, writes Joshua Bernard Espeña.

Between BRICS & G20: India & Global South Are a Resolute Match!

Jagannath Panda writes on the rising Indian profile in global affairs. He argues that for India, both the BRICS summit and the G-20 presidency outcomes have become markers of its economic and technological growth; the Global South leadership has been the icing in its cake. India is certainly in a position to act as a gluing agent between the West and the East while championing the concerns of the Global South. Even the state-owned Chinese media has grudgingly accepted that India’s G20 Presidency is gaining worldwide attention, which could “turn this influence into a driving force for growth.” India’s status as one of the fastest-growing economies with a burgeoning young, talented workforce growth; as the first country to soft-land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole; and its centrality in the emerging Indo-Pacific security architecture (e.g., the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) has only cemented its global profile, writes Panda.

Amid Reports on Chinese Expansion of Bases, Sri Lanka Unveils SOP: Need for a Reality Check?

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera reviews the success of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in Sri Lanka concerning ports and bases. Analyzing the challenges Sri Lanka faces ahead of the great power politics involving China, India and the U.S., this issue brief by Abeyagoonasekera attempts to analyze the US research reports and documents in assessing the politics that revolves around ports and bases in the Indian Ocean Region. It also examines a few critical questions: how will Sri Lanka maneuver its foreign policy in times to come to face the Chinese expansionist activities? Will India further facilitate space for the U.S., just like in the past establishment of Diego Garcia? What will be the success of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) introduced by the Sri Lankan government due to security sensitivities concerning New Delhi?

Georgia’s Foreign Policy and Its Alignment with the EU CSFP

Niklas Swanström shares his insights on the debate over Georgia's prospects to become a member of the EU. He argues that for Georgia to become a member of the EU, it has an obligation to prove to Brussels that its economic and democratic institutions are stable. This is something that many current members of the EU still struggle with. But Georgia’s democratic development has been under a significant threat due to the increasing influence of totalitarian states like China and Russia, and Tbilisi’s current swing toward Moscow. This trend not only distances Georgia from its collaboration with the EU and the U.S. but also complicates its chances of becoming a full member – or even a partner – of the EU. Tbilisi’s ties with Russia and active opposition to European values and interests contradict the EU’s core principles, argues Swanström.

Latest Publications

What Comes Next for North Korea-Russia Relations?

Gabriela Bernal and Sangsoo Lee

North Korea and Russia have taken their relations to a new level after the leaders of the two countries held an in-person summit meeting on Wednesday. While Pyongyang and Moscow […]

Between BRICS & G20: India & Global South Are a Resolute Match!

Jagannath P. Panda

Even before India took over the presidency of the Group of Twenty – the influential forum of major global economies, popularly called the G-20 – India did not shy away […]

Georgia’s Foreign Policy and Its Alignment with the EU CSFP

Niklas Swanström

For Georgia to become a member of the EU, it has an obligation to prove to Brussels that its economic and democratic institutions are stable. This is something that many […]

Books

Towards a Sustainable Arctic: International Security, Climate Change and Green Shipping

Michael Evan Goodsite and Niklas Swanström

The Arctic’s environment, economics, and politics are changing rapidly, and the conflicting interests among stakeholders mean that it lacks sustainable political and military cooperation. States bordering the Arctic — Russia, […]

Books & Monographs May, 2023
India-Japan-ASEAN Triangularity: Emergence of a Possible Indo-Pacific Axis?

Jagannath P. Panda

This book focuses on the scope, potential and future of the India-Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) trilateral. Through this book, contributors examine the strategic and global partnership between India […]

Books & Monographs September, 2022
Diogenes Issue on Global Ethics

Torbjörn Lodén

“A Global Ethic has a fundamental role to play not only in defining basic values but also in reaching transcultural consensus about the meaning of key notions such as ‘well-being’ […]

Books & Monographs March, 2023, Vol. 64 Issue 1-2, February 2017.
Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations

Jagannath P. Panda and Ernest Gunasekara-Rockwell

This book explores how the Quad Plus mechanism is set to reshape the global multilateral economic and security co-operations between Quad partner countries and the rest of the world. With […]

Books & Monographs June, 2022

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Upcoming Events

28 Sep
The War in Ukraine and the Review of Defence Strategies Across Europe and Asia
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Latest Blog Posts

September 18 2023 by Joshua Bernard Espeña

September 18 2023 by Joshua Bernard Espeña
India’s Growing Naval Power: Converging Lessons for the Philippine Navy

India’s growing power depends on its reliance on the seas for commerce. The Indian Navy has ambitiously planned to have a 175-ship force by 2035 where most platforms would be indigenized. The Indian Navy also seeks to be capable of operating in both the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions. The Philippines too is stealthily rising as a middle power, yet with so much to […]
September 15 2023 by Gustavo A. Cardozo

September 15 2023 by Gustavo A. Cardozo
BRICS 2.0: Bigger, but Better?

In a world characterized by the increasing polarization between two giants, China and the U.S., as well as an apparently endless conflict in Eastern Europe, the BRICS, originally composed of Brazil, China, Russia, India, and South Africa, recently embarked on a bold expansion leading to the inclusion of six new members. This transformation of the […]
September 8 2023 by Foster Cunliffe

September 8 2023 by Foster Cunliffe
Can AUKUS Prove its Critics Wrong?

As U.S. influence declines worldwide, a battleground has emerged, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, which is a crossroads of supply chains, geopolitical dynamics, and future wealth. The UK, U.S., and Australia are slowly cottoning on to this, and consequently devising new and adapting existing Indo-Pacific strategies. For example, the most recent G-7 meeting brought in […]

Most Popular

Pivotal States, Global South and India-South Korea Relations

Choong Yong Ahn and Jagannath P. Panda

In recent years, the term “Global South”—largely spanning countries in Africa, Central and Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean—has gained tremendous geopolitical currency. One of the most salient drivers of […]

Special Paper August, 2023
July 26 2023 by Satoru Nagao

July 26 2023 by Satoru Nagao
Is the U.S. Preparing for the Defense of Taiwan?

The U.S. has been warning that a crisis on Taiwan is nearby. In 2021, the then-Chief of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Philip Davidson, said that China may try to attack Taiwan by 2027. And in 2022, the Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director, David Cohen, stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping wants the People’s Liberation […]
Assessing the Development of Taiwanese Identity

Bo-jiun Jing and Torbjörn Lodén

The subject of contemporary Taiwan inevitably evokes controversy concerning its political, national, and cultural identity, especially the fervent dispute regarding its sovereignty and global recognition. Should Taiwan be recognized as […]

Special Paper August, 2023

The French Connection: India-France Partnership for the Indo-Pacific Zeitgeist

What Comes Next for North Korea-Russia Relations?

Join ISDP: Right now we are looking for interns and a Research Fellow

India’s Growing Naval Power: Converging Lessons for the Philippine Navy

Between BRICS & G20: India & Global South Are a Resolute Match!

Amid Reports on Chinese Expansion of Bases, Sri Lanka Unveils SOP: Need for a Reality Check?

Georgia’s Foreign Policy and Its Alignment with the EU CSFP

Latest Publications

What Comes Next for North Korea-Russia Relations?

Between BRICS & G20: India & Global South Are a Resolute Match!

Georgia’s Foreign Policy and Its Alignment with the EU CSFP

Books

Towards a Sustainable Arctic: International Security, Climate Change and Green Shipping

India-Japan-ASEAN Triangularity: Emergence of a Possible Indo-Pacific Axis?

Diogenes Issue on Global Ethics

Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations