Publication

This paper contends that while Australia’s strategic geography is being revolutionized by 1) China and India’s rising maritime power and 2) the growing connectivity of the Eurasia region, it is a mistake to link the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions together. Indeed, instead of embracing the idea of an Indo-Pacific zone, it’s wiser to adopt a more regionally differentiated Indo/Pacific approach. This is because the hyphen at the heart of the Indo-Pacific aggregates two distinct regional security orders that have differed widely in their historical evolution and continue to present separate “order-building” opportunities for Australia. In contrast, an Indo/Pacific strategic geography permits Canberra to calibrate its regional engagements accordingly.