GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE INDO-PACIFIC CONCEPT: POWER SHIFTS, ALLIANCES, AND SECURITY ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

Since the beginning of the second decade in the 21st century, the Indo-Pacific region is in extreme limelight due to reshaping international politics. China is rising as a potential hegemon in the region, and the US is already considering China as a threat. China is bidding for regional hegemony in the Indo-Pacific region, and many states in the area are already facing security dilemmas. There are at least three dominant features forecasting in the region’s geopolitical outlook; the rise of China as a regional hegemon, the US self-image as a sole surviving super power in Pacific, and the regional states adopting a “balance of threat”. This diverse nature of regional politics is shaping a new security architecture and ever new security alliances are emerging in the region. The present study applies a thematic analysis methodology of the collected qualitative data, and attempts to explore the pitfalls associated with the Indo-Pacific region politics in the paradigm of “Power Transition Theory”. It suggests that the increasing power of China and reciprocal measures from the US (internal & external balancing) can consequently lead to regional instability.