Australia’s Quest for ‘Strategic Equilibrium’ in the Indo-Pacific
Australia’s pursuit of strategic equilibrium has become the defining feature of its foreign policy in recent times.
- Shruti Pandalai
- 26 April 2024
Australia’s pursuit of strategic equilibrium has become the defining feature of its foreign policy in recent times.
New mini-laterals are taking shape to address the considerable challenges facing the ASEAN-centered regional security architecture.
ASEAN’s recent initiatives towards the Indo-Pacific help cement its centrality further while maintaining the grouping’s autonomy.
European countries have upped their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, in the pursuit of their geo-strategic and economic interests.
Canada and the Republic of Korea’s Indo-Pacific strategies signal a major transformation in their respective foreign policy outlook.
The Biden administration has further reinforced and strengthened US strategic priorities towards the Indo-Pacific, a decade after the ‘Pivot to Asia’ by the Obama administration.
India can carve a niche as a capacity-builder in helping the southern Pacific countries meet developmental goals and tackle climate change.
Eastwards Ho? India’s Relations with the Indo-Pacific edited by E. Sridharan comprising 15 essays by renowned experts on Asian geopolitics, seeks to place India on the strategic map of the evolving Indo-Pacific region as an economic and geopolitical power. At the outset, the editor provides a succinct overview of economic integration in Asia, particularly of China with its neighbours reflected in a massive increase in bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).
The Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) Initiative aims to enhance regional maritime security via technology and training support.
The new Labor Party government in Australia is likely to show continuity on AUKUS and Quad initiatives in the Indo-Pacific, while policy approaches on Pacific Islands and China, as also on climate change, may get a re-look.