In international relations, acceptance of a new strategic term is an acknowledgement of changed facts on the ground. The term 'Indo-Pacific' is a recent addition to the global strategic lexicon as a concept to understand the interconnected maritime space of Indian and Pacific Oceans.
While new as a strategic construct, Indo-Pacific had been the economic and cultural reality of nations in this vast geography for several centuries, until the post-1945 global order created a temporary and artificial schism in a relatively organic region.
What are the trend lines that are reinventing the Indo-Pacific today? As a manifestation of a rebalancing world, with weaker rules and stronger multipolarity, that is grappling with major power competition; one may argue that the Indo-Pacific is the "Great Game" of the 21st century. If so, who are the players, what are their ambitions and which strategies are they employing to win?
Speakers:
- Apurv Kumar Mishra, Policy Leader Fellow
- Professor Harsh Pant, Professor of International Relations at King's College London and Director of Delhi School of Transnational Affairs at Delhi University