What’s in a name? The Indo-Pacific is many things. It is a 21st-century map of the globally-central strategic system centred on maritime Asia. It is, quite literally, Australia’s place in the world. It may be a basis for a strategy of multipolarity and balancing to moderate the power of a rising China. And it is a region in which China’s interests and presence are growing.
In the interests of robust, scholarly and policy-relevant debate, Policy Forum has launched this section on the contested concept of the Indo-Pacific. We hope you find its contents of value, and invite contributions to the conversation.
Professor Rory Medcalf
Guest Editor, Indo-Pacific In Focus section
Podcast: Diving into the Indo-Pacific debate
Rapid Round-Up: Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper
Mapping our Indo-Pacific future: Rory Medcalf’s speech
Australia needs Indo-Pacific clarity | Denise Fisher
The Indo-Pacific is what you make of it| Andrew Phillips
Podcast: Putting the ‘Indo’ in Indo-Pacific | David Brewster
Government and governance | Asia
More and more countries are buying in to the Indo-Pacific construct. They must overcome the problems of coordination and burden-sharing if the concept is to have strategic teeth, Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan writes.
5 minutes
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International relations | Australia
It’s too soon to say whether the Indo-Pacific will remain a lasting picture of 21st-century geopolitics, Keshav Kelkar writes.
4 minute read
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International relations | Australia
If Shinzo Abe’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific is to succeed, it must be more than an instrument of competition with China, Sebastian Maslow writes.
7 minute read
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From Eurasia to the Indo-Pacific, Indian policymakers have their work cut out for them in balancing between bilateral and multilateral strategies, Monish Tourangbam writes.
7 minute read
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International relations | Australia
That the Indo-Pacific has so many different interpretations is a strength of the concept, not a flaw, Anthony Bergin writes.
7 minute read
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For the democracies of the Indo-Pacific to compete with China, they must accept that the region will be multipolar, Akhil Deo writes.
7 minute read
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International relations | Asia
Russia is grappling with its place in a rapidly evolving region, Olga Krasnyak writes.
5 minute read
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International relations | Asia
Russia’s economy may be putting the brakes on Moscow’s Asia-Pacific ambitions, but the Kremlin is still keen to seek out opportunities to grow its power and influence, Jacky Westermann writes.
6 minute read
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International relations | Australia
An Indo-Pacific strategy for Australia is essential, but difficult. The country must think big, but start small, Andrew Phillips writes.
5 minute read
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Government and governance | Australia
If the Indo-Pacific is to guide Australian strategy, policymakers must be clearer on what it means for Australian interests, partners, and regional organisations, Denise Fisher writes.
7 minute read
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