Letter from the Directors

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

2024 has been a tumultuous year, in which tensions have been continuously mounting and conflicts have been raging. Many of these developments have been the subject of ISDP’s attention.

Tensions in Asia continue to persist, as the rivalry between the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. escalates. We have seen continued strong actions by China against Taiwan impacting both international trade and security, as well as assertive claims over the South China Sea, increasing tensions with Vietnam and the Philippines. The results of the U.S. elections add further unpredictability to the bilateral relationship.

North Korea, meanwhile, has further consolidated its ties with Russia and China. The intensified cooperation between North Korea and Russia reached new levels as Pyongyang has gone from selling arms to sending military personnel to Russia, to aid its efforts in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, during the year Ukraine transitioned from being on the defensive to retaliating in the form of incursions into Russian territory.

The conflict in the Middle East has escalated further. While the conflict started as a result of Iran’s efforts to destroy Israel through the use of proxies in Gaza and Lebanon, the tables have been turned. Israel has decisively neutralized the military capacity of Iran’s main proxies, Hamas and Hizballah, in turn contributing to the dramatic crumbling in December of the Assad regime in Syria, a key ally for both Moscow and Tehran.

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the tightening of relations among the Beijing-Moscow-Tehran axis has left the states in Central Asia and the Caucasus in a precarious geopolitical situation. They are trying to keep their distance from Russia’s war, and are having reasonable success in asserting their sovereignty, especially as they are developing cooperation among themselves and with external powers like Turkey.

This indicates that the broader international community, especially transatlantic partners, must increase and consolidate their cooperation to further ensure security. We have seen that this year through increased NATO joint exercises.

All of these conflicts and tensions call for robust and trustworthy analysis which can generate a better understanding of the developments. This is exactly what ISDP has done and will continue to do by providing quick and reliable analysis, as well as a platform for discussion and debate allowing for both policymakers and academics to have a place at the table. We look forward to 2025, in order to continue and deepen our collaborations with our sponsors and partners. We look forward to being able to enable and engage in meaningful discussions and continue to provide noteworthy analysis as well as a platform for meaningful discussions.

Sincerely,

Niklas Swanström &
Svante E. Cornell

Directors