ICDS and ROLES Held an Expert Dialogue on Russia’s War Against Ukraine and China

On 11 September, a distinguished delegation from the Japanese think tank ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emerging Strategies) visited the ICDS for a roundtable.

The discussion was held in light of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Three years and a half into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, a ceasefire remains elusive. Tens of thousands have been killed and the destruction of Eastern Ukraine is massive. North Korea continues to provide Russia with weapons, ammunition and manpower. Against this background, the global security environment is undergoing unsettling changes. Transatlantic relations and alliances are put into question, and Europe is investing in enhanced defense capabilities with a view to shaping a new European security order. China and Russia, meanwhile, seek to promote a non-Western, multipolar world order including alternative international institutions. Countries such as Japan face anxiety about China’s global ambitions and the decline of a US-led order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Experts from Estonia and Japan convened to share their perspectives, explore collaboration, and contribute to deepened insights into regional and global security challenges. The dialogue primarily focused on two themes. First, how to assess the current military situation in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and what lies ahead? Second, what is the evolving role of China in regions such as Central Asia and the Indo-Pacific, and how does Beijing seek to shape the global security landscape?

ROLES delegation:

Atsuko Higashino (Head of the delegation, Professor of the University of Tsukuba)

Akio Miyajima (Senior Advisor of ROLES, UTokyo)

Shin Kawashima (Professor of International History of East Asia, UTokyo)

Yu Koizumi (Professor and ROLES Deputy Chair, RCAST of UTokyo)

Tsuyoshi Goroku (Nishogakusha University)

Satoshi Ikeuchi (Professor and ROLES Chair, RCAST of UTokyo; project organizer of the ROLES)

ICDS delegation:

Kristi Raik

Bart Gaens

Sanshiro Hosaka

Urmas Hõbepappel

Ivan U. K. Klyszcz

Marek Kohv

Toomas Hanso