The strategic approach of America and India to the Indo-Pacific region

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors

1 Member of the faculty and assistant professor of the Research Center of the Islamic Council

2 University of Esfahan

10.29252/piaj.2022.228617.1294

Abstract

Indo-Pacific is the most dynamic and diverse region in the world. The region has become the major hub of world politics and economy. During the last decade, global attention to the region has increased strategically and economically. The rise of China as a great power and its incising influence has been a challenge for the hegemony of the United States at the level of the international system and India at the regional level. The United States is India's most comprehensive strategic partner. Both countries have complementary strategic interests; America wants to maintain its economic and military hegemony in the world, and India, in turn, seeks to expand security relations with the United States in order to facilitate the country's transformation into a regional power in the future. The main question of the article is, what is the United States and India’s approach towards the Indo-Pacific region? The hypothesis of the article is that India has a "leading" or major role in the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy, but this does not mean a military and security alliance between the two countries, because India is trying to maintain its strategic autonomy in regional issues. The two countries have different approaches in the geographical definition of the region, the type of confrontation with the rise of China and the centrality of ASEAN in the region. This research has been prepared with an analytical approach and using the security strategies of the two countries.

Keywords

References

  •  

    • درخشنده لزجانی، مریم و شفیعی، نوذر (1401)، سیاست ایالات متحده نسبت به چین در چارچوب استراتژی مصون­سازی(1990-2021)، فصلنامه سیاست جهانی، دوره یازدهم، شماره دوم، تابستان، پیاپی 40، صفحات 7تا38.
    • Abhinandan, N. (2021), The Changing Power-Relations in the Indo-Pacific: Decoding New Delhi’s Strategic Outlook, Institue Security & Development Policy ,Focus Asia Perspective & Analysis February 2021
    • Auslin, M. R. (2018), The question of american strategy in the indo-pacific. Hoover Institution, 2020.‏
    • Auslin, M. (2020), Asian’s New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific, California: Hoover Institution Press.
    • Ayres, A. (2019), The US Indo-Pacific Strategy Needs More Indian Ocean. Council on Foreign Relations.‏
    • Berkofsky, A., & Miracola, S. (2019), Geopolitics by other means: The indo-pacific reality. Milan: Ledizioni-LediPublishing.
    • Bisley, N. (2020), Book review of Rory Medcalf’s Contest for the Indo-Pacific. Australian Foreign Affairs, 9, 127-130.‏
    • Bureau, D&b. (2021), India’s role in the Indo-Pacific. https://diplomacybeyond.com/indias-role-in-the-indo-pacific.
    • Chan, L. H. (2019), Australia's Strategic Hedging in the Indo-Pacific: A'Third Way'Beyond Either China or the US. Australia-China Relations Institute Policy Paper.
    • Chen, T., & Nance, A,. & Sumner, H. (2022), Water wars: AUKUS goes hypersonic https://www.lawfareblog.com/water-wars-aukus-goes-hypersonic.
    • Denisov, I., Paramonov, O., Arapova, E., & Safranchuk, I. (2021), Russia, china, and the concept of indo-pacific. Journal of Eurasian Studies, 12(1), 72-85.‏
    • Desai, S. (2019), Approaches to Indo-Pacific: India and US. https://asiatimes.com/2019/07/approaches-to-indo-pacific-india-and-us.
    • Ford, L. W., & Goldgeier, J. (2021), Retooling america’s alliances to manage the china challenge. Brookings Report, January, 25.
    • Goh, E. (2005), Meeting the China Challenge: The U.S. in Southeast Asian Regional Security Strategies. EastWest Center Policy Studies No. 16. Washington, DC: East-West Center, .
    • Heiduk, F., & Wacker, G. (2020), From Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific: significance, implementation and challenges.‏
    • Hemmings, J. (2020), The evolution of the us alliance system in the indo-pacific since the cold war’s end. Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: Thinking About Security in the Indo-Pacific, 145-159.‏
    • Iida, K. (2021), introduction: competition and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Volume 21, Issue 1, P 1-6.
    • Jackson, v. (2021), America’s Indo-Pacific Folly. Adding New Commitments in Asia Will Only Invite Disaster. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/2021-03-12/americas-indo-pacific-folly
    • Jaishankar, D. (2019), “Acting East: India in the Indo-Pacific” Brookings India Impact Series 102019-02, October 2019, Brookings Institution India Center.
    • Joshi, M. (2021), What’s in a Name? India’s Role in the Indo-Pacific. https://carnegiemoscow.org/commentary/85000.
    • Kapur, A. (2020), Geopolitics and the Indo-Pacific region. New York: Routledge.
    • Khurana, G. S. (2007), Security of sea lines: Prospects for India–Japan cooperation. Strategic analysis, 31(1), 139-153.‏
    • Kliem, F. (2020), Why quasi-alliances will persist in the indo-pacific? The fall and rise of the Quad. Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, 7(3), 271-304.‏
    • Köllner, P. (2021), Beyond" Indo-Pacific": Understanding Small Pacific Powers on Their Own Terms.‏
    • Korolev, A. (2019), Shrinking room for hedging: system-unit dynamics and behavior of smaller powers. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 19(3), 419-452.
    • Kumar, G. (2022), Making US-India Partnership the Prime Axis of the Indo-Pacific. https://thegeopolitics.com/making-us-india-partnership-the-prime-axis-of-the-indo-pacific.
    • Lin, B., Chase, M. S., Blank, J., Cooper, C. I., Grossman, D., Harold, S. W., ... & Kim, S. (2020), Regional Responses to US-China Competition in the Indo-Pacific. RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CA SANTA MONICA United States.‏
    • Liu, H., & Jamali, A. B. (2021), India's Indo‐Pacific Strategy: A Pragmatic Balancing between the United States and China.Pacific Focus, 36(1), 5-39.‏
    • Medcalf, R. (2020), Indo-Pacific empire: China, America and the contest for the world's pivotal region. Manchester University Press.‏
    • Medeiros, E. S. (2005), Strategic hedging and the future of Asia‐pacific stability.The Washington Quarterly, 29(1), 145-167.
    • Ministry of External Affairs. (2018), Government of India, “Prime Minister’s Keynote Address at Shangri La Dialogue”, 1 June. https://www.mea.gov.in/SpeechesStatements.htm?dtl/29943/Prime+Ministers+Keynote+Address+at+Shangri+La+Dialogue+June+01+2018.
    • Modi, N. (2018), Prime Minister’s keynote address at Shangri La Dialogue (June 01, 2018), Ministry of external affairs government of India, Available on: https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/29943/Prime+Ministers+Keynote+Address+at+Shangri+La+Dialogue+June+01+2018.
    • Mukherjee, A. (2014), India as a Net Security Provider: Concept and Impediments. Policy Brief, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
    • Nicolas, F. (2021), The regional economic order: Four scenarios. Available on: https://www.ifri.org/en/publications/publications-ifri/articles-ifri/regional-economic-order-four-scenarios
    • Panda, J. P. (2020), India’s approach to the “Quad” and the salience of China. In Conflict and Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (pp. 12-38). Routledge.
    • Pant, H. V., & Milford, T. (2021), The UK Shifts to the Indo-Pacific: An Opportunity for India-UK Ties. Issue Brief, (444).‏
    • Pardesi, M. S. (2022), India’s China strategy under Modi continuity in the management of an asymmetric rivalry. International Politics, 59(1), 44-66.
    • Pillai, R. (2022), India’s Place in the New US Indo-Pacific Strategy. https://www.orfonline.org/research/indias-place-in-the-new-us-indo-pacific-strategy/
    • Rajagopalan, R. (2020), Evasive balancing: India's unviable Indo-Pacific strategy. International Affairs, 96(1), 75-93.‏
    • Rossiter, A., & Cannon, B. J. (2020), Conflict and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: New geopolitical realities. In Conflict and Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (pp. 1-11). Routledge.
    • Schottil, J. (2022), India and the “great powers”: from the Indian Ocean to the Indo-Pacific region. The Round Table, Volume 111, Issue 3, P 412-425.
    • Singh, A. G. (2022), China’s evolving strategic discourse on India: from Doklam to Galwan and beyond, Stimson, Available on: https://www.stimson.org/2022/chinas-evolving-strategic-discourse-on-india/.
    • Tellis, A. (2015). Unity in difference: overcoming the US–India difference. Washington DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
    • The White House. (2017), National Security Strategy of the United States of America, December. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf.
    • Times, H. (2022), In its new Indo-Pacific strategy, US commits to supporting India’s rise. February 13. https://cset.georgetown.edu/article/in-its-new-indo-pacific-strategy-us-commits-to-supporting-indias.
    • Twining, D. (2015), India’s Heavy Hedge Against China, and its New Look to the United States to Help. Joint US-Korea Academic Studies, 26, 29-41.
    • US Department of Defense. (2019), Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, 1 June, https://media.defense.gov/2019/Jul/01/2002152311/-1/-1/1/DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE-INDO-PACIFICSTRATEGY-REPORT-2019.PDF.
    • US Department of State. (2013), Remarks by John Kerry, Secretary of State, on “The US-India Strategic Partnership”, 23 June.https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/06/211013.htm.
    • US Department of State. (2014), “US Foreign Policy in South Asia: A Vision for Prosperity and Security”, 16 April. https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/sca/rls/rmks/2014/224914.htm
    • US Department of State. (2018), Special Briefing by Alex N. Wong, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, on “The Indo-Pacific Strategy”, 2 April. https://www.state.gov/briefing-on-the-indopacific-strategy/.
    • US Department of State. (2018), Special Briefing, “Senior State Department Official Remarks to Traveling Press”, 6 September. https://www.state.gov/senior-state-department-official-remarks-to-traveling-press/.
    • Wada, H. (2020), The Indo-Pacific Concept: Geographical Adjustments and Their Implications. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. ‏
    • Yi, W. (2020), U.S. ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’ Undermines Peace and Development Prospects in East Asia,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Available on: https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1824140.shtml.
Political and International Approaches
Volume 14, Issue 1 - Serial Number 71
December 2022
Pages 123-148

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics