Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, one of the key areas of Sino-American rivalry, is going through a period of political uncertainty, with certain democratic trajectories being called into question (Myanmar, Thailand).
A Year on from the Coup: Burma Collapses
The February 2021 coup encountered a level of resistance that the military did not expect: demonstrations, boycotts, and a slide toward an armed resistance against repression from the authorities.
South Korea and France’s Indo-Pacific Strategies: Potential Partnership and Challenges
Despite some constraints on their Indo-Pacific strategies, South Korea and France could consider bilateral dialogues for partnership in the Indo-Pacific, leading to a high level of confidence and strategic convergence in security.
China and South-East Asia: Has the Die Been Cast?
China is exerting pressure on its surrounding area in South-East Asia to implement its concept of a “community with a shared destiny”.
The Economic Pillar of Korea’s New Southern Policy: Building on Existing Assets
Diversification is a key tenet of South Korea’s New Southern Policy (NSP). In the economic sphere, however, the need for diversification is apparently less pressing as, unlike what is observed in the diplomatic and security domains, Korea’s economic partnerships are less unbalanced and are not (or not as clearly) polarized on the big Four (China, Japan, the United States, and Russia).
Korea’s New Southern Policy : An Economist’s Perspective
In this interview, Choong-Ryeol Lee, professor at Korea University looks at the objectives of Korea's New Southern Policy, its economic impact, and Korea's economic cooperation with India.
A New Player in the Indo-Pacific? South Korea’s New Southern Policy
A webinar by the Center for Asian Studies on South Korea's New Southern Policy examined the motivations, objectives, and means of, as well as possible challenges to, this policy, through an analysis of economic and trade cooperation on the one hand (Prosperity) and diplomatic and security cooperation on the other (People and Peace).
A Democratic tour de force: How the Korean State Successfully Limited the Spread of COVID-19
While the COVID-19 pandemic is still greatly affecting most of the world, the Republic of Korea has managed to stall the spread of the disease.
East Asia Security in Flux. What Regional Order Ahead?
In February 2020, the Ifri Center for Asian Studies and the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) held a conference on the Asian security environment.
Korean Democracy in Times of Coronavirus
The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare a series of troublesome truths, both about healthcare infrastructures in Western nations and the state of their democracies.
The quarantine they prescribed, albeit after periods of irresoluteness, drew embarrassing parallels to measures taken by China just a few weeks earlier. Social life has come to a near standstill without citizens being given a chance to deliberate, as procedures were discussed for the most part in closed-door meetings between the executive branch and appointed experts: the White House Coronavirus Task Force in the United States, the Scientific Council of France, etc. The general public has been hardly more involved in the West than in China.
In contrast, South Korea has thus far been the only significantly affected country to contain the spread of Covid-19 without shutting itself down or compromising even temporarily democratic institutions.
Korea in Africa: Between Soft Power and Economic Interests
Through development assistance and economic engagement, South Korea has sought to project itself as a different kind of partner for Africa. In reality, it is not so unique.
Why Are Japan and South Korea in a Trade Fight?
Officially, Japan has “national security” concerns about technology exports to South Korea. Unofficially, World War II still casts an ugly shadow.
Between the Lines of Questionable Battles
This text was published in Politique étrangère in 1979, the year in which the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) was created.
Rohingya: Can the Crisis be Resolved?
The Rohingya issue involves a complex national and regional history.
Does China Want the Koreas to Reconcile?
This Friday, April 27, the South Korean and North Korean leaders will meet in the demilitarized zone dividing their estranged countries to discuss improving relations and possibly even formally ending the Korean War, which has continued in the form of an often tense and fragile armistice since the cessation of combat in 1953. This inter-Korean summit, the first since 2007, signifies closer ties between the two Koreas—and will be an important bellwether for Donald Trump’s late-May or early-June meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
South Korea's New Electricity Plan. Cosmetic Changes or a Breakthrough for the Climate?
Shortly after his inauguration in May 2017, the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, announced a major policy shift away from nuclear and coal power, and toward renewables and gas. This would have meant a complete U-turn from previous policies, considering that nuclear and coal produced 40% and 30% respectively of Korea’s total electricity in 2016.
North Korea-US: How Far Will the Confrontation Go?
Since Kim Jong-Un came to power, the North Korean regime has significantly strengthened its nuclear and ballistic capabilities.
Corée du Sud, la septième armée du monde ?
As Democratic Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) continuous development of non-conventional weapons and challenges of the international community reaches a new level, Republic of Korea (ROK) appears more than ever as the frontline state on which most of North-East Asia security depends.
North Korea's Nuclear Posture: an Evolving Challenge for U.S. Deterrence
A more capable, nuclear-armed, North Korea will pose very substantial challenges to the U.S. deterrence posture.
China’s rise: the view from South Korea
Monitoring China-South Korea relations is key for the EU, as both countries have been designated strategic partners. Moreover, the Union has important economic ties to both, and signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2011.
Cooperation Despite Frictions in Northeast Asia
Coming in from the Cold? An Update on North Korea's External Economic Relations
This brief analysis of the current external economic relations of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) leads to a number of conclusions.
FDI as a Factor of Economic Restructuring: The Case of South Korea
Françoise Nicolas, in A. Bende-Nabende, (ed.), International Trade, Capital Flows and Economic Development in East Asia: The Challenge in the 21st Century, London, Ashgate, 2003
Going Multinational: The Korean Experience of Direct Investment
The broad aim of this book is to explore the pattern and determinants of Korean foreign direct investment. The main focus is on Outward Direct Investment, but data and analysis are provided on both inward and outward flows in developed and developing counties in order to arrive at a better understanding of the dynamics at work.
Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2026, Ifri partners with over 90 French and international companies and organizations.
Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.