IntroductionAs global energy systems undergo rapid transformation driven by decarbonization pressures, technological innovation, and shifting geopolitical alignments, energy-producing states are increasingly redefining their strategies to remain competitive. In this evolving landscape, Azerbaijan has begun to move beyond its traditional role
The Strategic Significance of the Korea–EU SummitThe reality that yesterday’s allies are turning into today’s adversarial partners is emerging due to the reorganisation of the international order. In this environment, it is necessary to establish relations with existing partners that
Introduction: Beyond the Arms Export StoryKorea’s defense industry has spent the past three years moving from being a notable arms exporter to becoming a structural participant in the production networks of major allies. The shift is visible in headline contracts.
Beyond the Denuclearization–Engagement BinarySouth Korea’s diplomacy toward North Korea has long been trapped between two familiar but insufficient choices. One is a principled but often unrealistic insistence on immediate denuclearization. The other is an engagement-oriented approach that is easily criticized
The Strategic Weight of Diplomatic DiscourseIn international relations (IR), the language states use to describe their role — the frames, metaphors, and identity claims embedded in policy documents and diplomatic communications — tends to shape what they can ask for,
IntroductionAs Korea and Bulgaria mark the 36th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026, their bilateral ties are entering a new phase defined less by symbolism and more by converging strategic interests. What was once a relationship characterized largely by cordial
Introduction: The Geopolitics of Digital RegulationThe politics of digital regulation has become one of the clearest examples of how economics, technology, and geopolitics now overlap. What might once have looked like a technical debate over competition law, online safety, or
IntroductionThe Korean nuclear debate has been among the hidden political taboos in the Korean political agenda and inter-Korean relations for more than five decades. Yet, President Trump’s decision to re-deploy the U.S. Terminal High Attitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from
The global security order in 2026 looks nothing like it did even two years ago. When the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, few predicted how rapidly the geopolitical map of the Middle East would be
The future of South Korea–India relations will depend less on diplomatic rhetoric than on the political economy of investment. For more than a decade, Seoul has regarded the revision of the Korea–India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as the principal