Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Challenges for the Southeast Asia

Absztrakt (kivonat)

An emerging notion of Indo-Pacific region and, respectively, Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy has attracted many international players both regionally and internationally. Arguably, it has developed as a product of globalization, intra- and cross-regional integration and field cooperation interlinkages. Aimed at promotion of better connectivity, establishment of the rule-based order and reaching peace and security has a quite broad spectrum of cooperation, which can either help actors by synergy make impactful decisions or result in elusive burden. Likewise, due to the vast spatial frameworks “from Africa to America” as noted by Indian prime-minister Narendra Modi it might foment both opportunities, controversies and hesitation. In my thesis I will analyze how major regional actors, on the one hand, view Indo-Pacific: whether it is a trigger for Chinese regional policy and interests or is a genuine possibility to boost “fragile” Quad cooperation while focusing and arguing that the main group of actors, ASEAN, as a hinge between Indian and Pacific oceans, owing to the lack of unified approach multiplied might incite challenges both for the domestic and regional agenda of the Southeast Asia actors on the institutional level, and, in turn, ricochet into undermining of the goals Indo-Pacific vision.