A decade after Japan launched its Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision, tensions between AUKUS and Pacific Island security priorities are reshaping regional geopolitics. As AUKUS strengthens military deterrence, Pacific nations prioritise climate security, sovereignty and nuclear non-proliferation. We invite several leading experts to examine whether competing security visions threaten regional stability, intensify US-China rivalry and undermine FOIP’s principles of peace and cooperation.
Read MoreWritten by Luana Correia
While the impacts on the region are imminent and unavoidable, they can be minimised through adequate adaptation and mitigation efforts. This requires wealthier, more capable actors to strengthen their multilateral climate finance commitments and provide impacted nations such as Nepal with strong reconstruction and recovery support.
Read MoreWritten by Eve Register
The protection of human rights has long been a founding principle of the EU. While the GSP+ programme represents an opportunity to advance this goal, human rights will remain subordinated to other priorities as long as the Commission leverages the programme to extract strategic advantage.
Read MoreWritten by Emanuele Ballestracci
Italy cannot rival the hard-power presence of France or the UK, nor does it aspire to. Instead, it has constructed a pathway based on economic cooperation, private-sector activism, and steady institutional ties, which over time create the trust needed to expand into political and security spheres.
Read MoreWritten by Geo Dzakwan Arshali
Jakarta has never been aimless in its approach to the Koreas — it seeks to de-escalate tensions on the peninsula by keeping dialogue alive, even with an isolated Pyongyang, while simultaneously deepening cooperation with a democratic Seoul and its Western allies.
Read MoreWritten by Jana C. von Dessien
Two decades of wallowing in the comforts of cheap Russian energy, open Chinese markets, and US security guarantees seem to have thoroughly corrupted the entire political class.
Read MoreWritten by Derek McDougall
If the US cannot increase the rate at which it builds submarines, Australia could find itself without submarines once the existing six Collins-class submarines can no longer be used.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Rafal Ulatowski
Germany is too weak militarily to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Its military presence satisfies the expectations of the regional middle powers and of the United States while having only a minor adverse impact on Germany’s relations with China.
Read MoreWritten by Julian Neuweiler and Patrick Triglavcanin
Continuing efforts in transparency are also important. A formal mechanism for communication should be established between AUKUS members and Southeast Asia.
Read MoreWritten by Mathieu Droin
The limitations of what NATO can offer or execute in the Indo-Pacific raise the question of whether there may be other more appropriate frameworks to publicly tackle shared security challenges between the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.
Read MoreWritten by Mathieu Droin
The brewing Indo-Pacific architecture is inherently “flexilateral” due to the breadth of factors and the rapidly changing stakes that determine its many actors’ positions.
Read MoreWritten by Hunter Marston
For Singapore, the advantages are inordinate. As a tiny island nation, the annual conference allows the country to exercise a degree of influence and statecraft on the world stage that its material resources and capacity might not otherwise grant it.
Read MoreWritten by Sian Troath
Whether people oppose the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, have mixed views, or support it, they often do ground their assessments in strategic analysis and a consideration of other priorities.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Kerry Brown
In this context, the one positive Russia offers to China is that it does not belong to the Western bloc. Xi’s seemingly warm words to Putin are an acknowledgement that his enemy’s enemy is his friend.
Read MoreWritten by Gesine Weber
If France wants to seize the opportunity for asserting leadership among Europeans on the Indo-Pacific, it will also be up to the President to preach what the country already practices.
Read MoreWritten by Xuyang Dong
Australia is being remade into an active and helpful middle power in its region with its own agency, constructively and strategically navigating its presence in the geopolitics of growing China-US rivalry.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Lucas Knotter
Now that Ardern has been replaced by Chris Hipkins as Aotearoa prime minister, it is unclear whether New Zealand’s foreign policy will change substantially.
Read MoreWritten by Dante Schulz
The Taliban’s inability to address the security and economic concerns of its partners will only exacerbate the glaring issues plaguing Afghanistan.
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