From Europe to the Indo‑Pacific – Docent Dr Mikael Weissmann

From Europe to the Indo‑Pacific: Strategy, Technology, and Defence

This initiative examines how Indo‑Pacific geopolitics and defence‑technology competition shape European and Swedish security in a NATO context. We analyse multi‑domain operations (MDO), military innovation (AI and autonomous systems), and China’s global statecraft, including linkages to Ukraine, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Global South, while assessing implications of U.S. policy under a second Trump administration for transatlantic and Euro‑Asian coordination.

Project leads

Docent Dr Mikael Weissmann, Senior Lecturer, Department of Systems Science for Defence and Security, Swedish Defence University.
Docent Dr Dan Öberg, Senior Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Department of Systems Science for Defence and Security, Swedish Defence University.

Scope & key questions

How will defense innovation alter deterrence, escalation, and combined arms in the Indo‑Pacific—and what carries over to Europe?
What does US and China’s policies imply for security in the region and how does it impact European security, including Ukraine dynamics and supply‑chain resilience?
How should NATO/EU and regional partners align approaches to MDO, maritime chokepoints, and critical infrastructure in the region?
What are the key implications from the Indo-Pacific region for Sweden’s force development, Professional Military Education, and international cooperation?

Approach & activities

Desk research plus field consultations across India, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea; structured seminars; scenario‑based exercises and staff‑ride‑inspired methods; and partner roundtables.

Outputs

Academic articles and chapters, policy briefs, scenario packs/wargaming modules, PME teaching materials, and networked dialogues with allied practitioners.

Education link

The findings directly inform advanced courses at the Swedish Defence University, aiming to equip participants to understand key actors in the Into-Pacific region, the region’s role as a driver of defence innovation/AI, and its significance for Sweden and NATO, delivered via lectures, seminars, self‑study, and field exercises.

Background

The Indo-Pacific is arguably the most important region in the world. It accounts for a substantial share of global growth and—together with the EU—dominates world trade flows; Asia is now a larger market for Swedish exports than the United States, making an understanding of the region’s economic dynamics essential for safeguarding European supply-chain resilience, critical technologies, and Swedish prosperity.

A significant portion of global commerce also transits Indo-Pacific sea lines of communication, so stability at key maritime chokepoints directly affects European security. With Sweden in NATO, U.S. posture and alliance networks in the region (Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand) are increasingly relevant to Swedish planning, deterrence, and interoperability.

At the same time, China’s expanding diplomatic and economic influence intersects with European security, including dynamics linked to the contemporary security issues, shaping standards, supply chains, and technology ecosystems with strategic consequences for Europe.

Selected publications

Weissmann, Mikael. 2023 [published 2025]. “Chinese and Other Foreign Influence in Serbia and the Western Balkans: A Tale of Cooperation, Competition, and Distrust?” Connections: The Quarterly Journal 22(4): 9–26. Available from: https://doi.org/10.11610/Connections.22.4.01. (Connections QJ)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2020. Building Peace and Prosperity: The Role of Elite Networks in ASEAN and Beyond. RSIS Policy Report, July 2020. Singapore: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. Available from: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PR200730_Building-Peace-and-Prosperity_V2.pdf (14 pp.).

Weissmann, Mikael. 2019. “Understanding Power (Shift) in East Asia: The Sino-US Narrative Battle about Leadership in the South China Sea.” Asian Perspective 43(2): 223–248. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1353/apr.2019.0009. (fhs.diva-portal.org)

Nordin, Astrid H. M., and Mikael Weissmann. 2018. “Will Trump Make China Great Again? The Belt and Road Initiative and International Order.” International Affairs 94(2): 231–249. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix242. (OUP Academic)

Weissmann, Mikael, and Elin Rappe. 2017. Sweden’s Approach to China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Still a Glass Half-Empty. UI Paper No. 1 (September 2017). Stockholm: Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). Available from: https://www.ui.se/globalassets/ui.se-eng/publications/ui-publications/2017/paper-1-swedens-approach-to-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative.pdf (15 pp.). (ui.se)

Hagström, Linus, and Mikael Weissmann. 2016. “Sanctions Reconsidered: The Path Forward with North Korea.” The Washington Quarterly 39(3): 61–76. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/0163660X.2016.1232635. (tandfonline.com)

Carlsson, Märta, Susanne Oxenstierna, and Mikael Weissmann. 2015. China and Russia – A Study on Cooperation, Competition and Distrust. FOI-R–4087–SE. Stockholm: FOI (Swedish Defence Research Agency). Available from: https://www.foi.se/rest-api/report/FOI-R–4087–SE (99 pp.). (foi.se)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2015. “The South China Sea: Still No War on the Horizon.” Asian Survey 55(3): 596–617. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2015.55.3.596. (jstor.org)

Dittmer, Lowell, and Mikael Weissmann. 2015. “China’s Maritime Embroilments.” Asian Survey 55(3): 447–454. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2015.55.3.447. (swepub.kb.se)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2015. “Chinese Foreign Policy in a Global Perspective: A Responsible Reformer Striving for Achievement.” Journal of China and International Relations 3(1): 151–166. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5278/ojs.jcir.v3i1.1150. (diva-portal.org)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2014. Keeping Alive: Understanding North Korea’s Supply Lines and the Potential Role of Sanctions. UI Paper No. 6/2014. Stockholm: Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). Available from: https://www.ui.se/globalassets/butiken/ui-paper/2014/keeping-alive—understanding-north-koreas-supply-lines-and-the-potential-role-of-sanctions.pdf (28 pp.).

Weissmann, Mikael. 2014. “Why Is There a Relative Peace in the South China Sea?” In Chachavalpongpun, Pavin (ed.), Entering Uncharted Waters? ASEAN and the South China Sea Dispute, pp. 36–64. Singapore: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1355/9789814380270-005. (degruyterbrill.com)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2013. A European Strategy towards East Asia: Moving from Good Intentions to Action. UI Occasional Paper No. 19 (April 2013). Stockholm: Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). Available from: https://www.ui.se/globalassets/ui.se-eng/publications/ui-publications/a-european-strategy-towards-east-asia-moving-from-good-intentions-to-action.compressed-1.pdf (18 pp.). (ui.se)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2012. The East Asian Peace: Conflict Prevention and Informal Peacebuilding. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137264732. (ui.se)

Weissmann, Mikael. 2010. “The South China Sea Conflict and Sino-ASEAN Relations: A Study in Conflict Prevention and Peace Building.” Asian Perspective 34(3): 35–69. Available from: https://www.ui.se/english/publications/peer-reviewed-articles/2010/. (ui.se)