Strategic Relevance of the Indo-Pacific

An Assessment

Abstract

At Davos in 2016, John Chipman, Director General (DG) and Chief Executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) while participating in a discussion on world affairs, stated that the world during the 20th century had lived tactically but in the 21st century, the world will have to learn to live strategically. What does that mean and how is it relevant in understanding the strategic relevance of the Indo-Pacific? The Indo-Pacific region1 as a whole is witnessing major shifts in terms of economics, strategic behaviour, and diplomatic manoeuvring among the major powers. Especially, as each nation competes with the other in order to create its own sphere of influence to exploit the potential of the region as a whole. The creation of a single strategic system in the Indo-Pacific region by combining accelerated economic and security connections becomes the fulcrum between the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Will the concept of ‘Indo-Pacific' region help in integrating and uniting the major powers into one single strategic system? NOTE: This paper is adapted from an address at a Round Table Conference on the Indo-Pacific Region: Emerging Geopolitical Scenario at the UGC Centre for Southeast Asian and Pacific Studies, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati, on August 28, 2018.

This paper is adapted from an address at a Round Table Conference on the Indo-Pacific Region: Emerging Geopolitical Scenario at the UGC Centre for Southeast Asian and Pacific Studies, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati, on August 28, 2018.