Embedding India in Asia: Reaffirming the Indo-Pacific Concept

The emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a new geopolitical frame of reference is embedded in the growing strategic importance of the maritime domain and the rise of states that have demonstrated the ability to ‘transcend’ their respective subregions. However, the Indo-Pacific remains a concept in its infancy, as evidenced by the fact that it continues to compete with alternative conceptions of regional space in Asia. This article argues that India has a vested interest in the survival of this new strategic geography as it serves to reinvigorate the momentum of its post-Cold War re-engagement with Asia under the aegis of its ‘LookEast’ and ‘extended neighbourhood’ policies. In this context, India should continue to cultivate the Indo-Pacific concept and ensure its embrace in the region’s evolving strategic vocabulary.