A seminar titled “Caspian Nexus: Connectivity, Energy, and Influence” will be held on June 16, 2026, at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. The program will bring together academic and policy-oriented discussions on the Caspian region’s growing role in
Introduction: Managing Risk in an Unstable Environment The contemporary international environment is characterized by the simultaneous coexistence of strategic calculation and impulsive, risk-acceptant behavior, generating heightened uncertainty across the global system. South Korea has not been immune to these dynamics,
Introduction: A Shifting Security Landscape Since 2022, the international security environment has undergone a structural transformation. The war in Ukraine revealed the depth of interdependence between European and Indo-Pacific security dynamics, accelerating a shift in how major multilateral institutions define
Introduction: From Contractor to Architect Central Asia’s contemporary geopolitical architecture is evolving beyond its historical characterization as merely an arena for great-power rivalry. While the systemic influences of China’s infrastructure-heavy Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Russia’s traditional security presence
Introduction: From Contractor to Architect When the Kaesong Industrial Complex was shut down in February 2016, it was widely described as a failure. Commentators spoke of naïveté, of a misguided “Sunshine Policy,” of South Korean idealism exploited by a ruthless
The Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) made an interview with Dr. Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu, Deputy Director of the Seoul Institute of Global Affairs (SIGA). – The 2025 became a turning point in the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan,
At the heart of Nepal’s transformation from a monarchy to a federal republic lies the Nepalese Civil War. The underlying causes of this conflict were a divide between the political elites and the general population, who felt increasingly excluded from
Few would have imagined a decade ago that India and Armenia would one day stand as visible strategic partners. For years, their ties were cordial but peripheral, overshadowed by larger powers and deeper alliances. Armenia, scarred by its vulnerability in
In 2025, the first EU–Central Asia Summit took place amid intensifying global competition, emphasizing the EU’s efforts to strengthen ties through connectivity, economic diversification and access to critical raw materials. Key regional concerns—including migration, sanctions circumvention, and infrastructure gaps—were also
As Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan advance ambitious modernization strategies, their evolving relationship is becoming central to the future of Central Asia. Beyond reform indicators, the key issue is how the two states navigate complementarity and competition within an emerging regional architecture.