April 6, 2022
Pacific leaders may be sceptical of US engagement
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s 12 February 2022 visit to Fiji for a virtual summit with Pacific leaders occurred shortly after the White House released its new Indo-Pacific Strategy. Blinken made no mention of China in his public comments, and, to its credit, the strategy minimises…
March 29, 2022
The cyber–maritime security nexus and priorities for UK–Australia–ASEAN cooperation
The UK government’s Integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy presents the Indo-Pacific as a region of increasing geopolitical and economic importance over the next decade and suggests that competition will play out in ‘regional militarisation, maritime tensions and…
March 18, 2022
Philippine elections will shape Indo-Pacific security
When more than 50 million Filipinos cast their ballots on 9 May for a new president, they’ll decide far more than who will be the next occupant of the Malacañan Palace. At stake are the country’s foreign policy and its impact on US–China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region. Pending the…
March 15, 2022
Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy flips the switch on geopolitical rivalry
On 11 February 2022, the Biden administration released its long-awaited Indo-Pacific Strategy against the backdrop of an impending security crisis in Europe. The document confirms what has been evident through the administration’s first year, marking a shift in focus to the region and a push to…
March 3, 2022
US Indo-Pacific strategy presents opportunities for Australia to broaden its view of security
The White House released the Indo-Pacific strategy of the United States on 11 February to coincide with Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Fiji. Commentary has focused on its mentions of Chinese aggression, so it would be easy to miss that this is a new type of security strategy: one that…
February 7, 2022
Micronesia’s exit from the Pacific Islands Forum
The slow-motion crash of Micronesia’s break with the Pacific Islands Forum has reached the one-year mark.
February 4, 2022
Boosting maritime law enforcement in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea
Five and a half years on from the international arbitral tribunal’s rejection of China’s expansive South China Sea claims in July 2016, the international maritime order in East Asia clearly is in trouble. China is continuing to consolidate its control over the Paracel Islands and most of the…
February 3, 2022
Thailand-US-China Relations Amid the 2022 Cobra Gold Drill
Thailand’s 2014 coup led to the erosion of relations with the U.S., but the balance of power is tilting back in Washington’s favor.
January 29, 2022
Beijing’s self-sabotage in the South China Sea
The situation in the South China Sea continues to deteriorate — military tensions are rising, Southeast Asian states are losing space to exercise their rights, fisheries are sliding closer to collapse and China is undermining its goal of regional and global leadership. Facing regular coercion,…