The Indo-Pacific Rivalry

Abstract

The geopolitical reality of the twenty-first century acknowledges that geo-economic links and strategic competition have shifted towards a region that unites two of the most significant bodies of water bodies in an interconnected world. The Indo-Pacific is a concept and a melting pot of several countries’ interests, with many of the stakeholders being from outside the area, which complicates both internal and external dynamics. According to some well-known geopolitical analysts, the Indo-Pacific is largely a code for geopolitical schemata—America’s pivot to Asia and countering of China, India’s play for magnanimity, Japan’s desire to regain its former influence, Indonesia’s search for clout, Australia’s alliance-building, and so forth—and other states must safeguard their strategic interests through partnerships while acknowledging multipolarity as the hallmark of the new regional order. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the historical background of the term “Indo-Pacific” and its significance in twenty-first-century geopolitics, the stakeholders and their strategic interests driving up the complexity of the region’s geopolitical environment, and the potential for cooperation and moving forward.