In Forum: Donald Trump re-elected, the Indo-Pacific reacts

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks several experts what to expect from the next US administration and its potential impact on the Indo-Pacific region.

Editor's Picks9DLNovember 11, 20249DASHLINE, Donald Trump re-elected, the Indo-Pacific reacts, Matthew sussex, Kei koga, Yuki Tatsumi, andrea chloe wong, Kate clayton, Kate Clayton, Australia must adapt swiftly, Reaganesque 'Peace through strength', Trump's transactional world, grand strategic bargains, US security partner, iron-clad, Russia, China, American politics, misty-eyed sentiments, America first, transactional, Shigeru Ishiba, US-Japan alliance, 2 percent of GDP, Donald Trump, Ukraine war, gaza, Trump administration, Shinzo abe, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Asian NATO, Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), cultivate a personal relationship with Trump, National Security Advisor, latticework of alliances and partnerships, bilateral negotiations, equitable alliance, tough decisions, force Japan to make tough decisions, industrial security, positive disruptor, more uncertainties for the philippines, Japan faces tough national security decisions, Manila, protectionism, Filipinos, 350, 000 Filipinos, US Department of Homeland Security, 5th largest unlawful immigrant population, immigration, household spending, South China Sea, boosting defence cooperatio, maritime aggression, AUKUS's future in doubt, AUKUS Agreement, Australia, Philippines, Japan, AUKUS Agreement is in trouble, Indo-Pacific, US-Australia relations, Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact, tariffs, Southeast Asia, diplomatic footprint in the Pacific, Pacific, climate change, Quad, middle powers, Joe Biden, US disinterest, America, India, climate change cooperation, Europe, Pacific Islands, Jake Sullivan, multilayered security framework

The changing dynamics of the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship

Written by Varuna Shankar

Japan provides the opportunity for Sri Lanka to reduce its dependence on China for economic reform, while Sri Lanka provides Japan an opening to penetrate deeper into the South Asian market.

South Asia9DLFebruary 26, 20249dashline, varuna shankar, The changing dynamics of the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship, Japan-Sri lanka relationship, investment, Southeast Asia, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayash, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, digital econo, digital economies, MOU on port development, financial crisis, Gotabaya government’s dependence on Chinese financial assistance, 2.9 billion bailout from the IMF, Sri Lanka's strategy, economic freefall, humanitarian crisis, twin deficit, COVID-19 stagnation, tourism industry, Gotabaya administration, Jaya Container Terminal project, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, East Container Terminal, jointly develop the East Container Terminal, Ports Authority, funded by Japan, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was cancelled, Japanese-funded light rail transit (LRT) project was suspended, Tokyo and Colombo, India-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship, West Container Terminal, 52 per cent of Sri Lanka’s bilateral debt, Sri Lanka's debt, World Bank, IMF, Japanese Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s vision, Japanese investments, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Bandaranaike International Airport, viaduct at Bandaranaike International Airport, apanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, connectivity infrastructure in Sri Lanka, devaluation of the local currency, Colombo, investment zones, South Asian market

How the UK supports regional order in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Dr Thomas Wilkins

Despite dangers closer to home and straitened finances, London does appear to be committed to the region, even if the implementation of some aspects of its new strategic approach remains patchy.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLNovember 30, 2023How the UK supports regional order in the Indo-Pacific, Dr Thomas Wilkins, 9Dashline, Great Britain, France, EU, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, resident power, minilateral engagements, Indo-Pacific Strategy, Integrated Review, Integrated Review Refresh, EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Global Britain, liberal international order, Royal Navy, multilateral military exercises, Development Assistance, China, Japan, India, ‘over the horizon’ partner, James Cleverly, networks and grids, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Australia, Singapore, TALISMAN SABRE military exercises, UK-Japan Strategic Partnership, British Defence Singapore Support Unit, AUKUS, Global Combat Aircraft Programme, Partnership for the Blue Pacific, Five Power Defence Arrangements, New Zealand, Malaysia, ASEAN, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement toward Transpacific Partnership

Hold on tight! The US, Indo-Pacific, and expectations for a second Trump term

Written by Blake H. Berger

If Trump prevails in the 2024 election, and if his first term indicates what the region can expect from a second one, hold tight because it will get ugly.

The United States and China: Two alternative visions of regional order

Written by Dr Matteo Dian

Both US allies and non-aligned partners are deepening their security relationship with Washington as their main insurance policy against increasingly frequent Chinese coercion.

Faultlines9DLMay 1, 20239dashline, The United States and China: two alternative visions of regional order, DR MATTEO DIAN, US, US-China, China, power competition, Washington, beijing, regional order, Indo-Pacific model, democracy, maritime democracies, indo-pacific, American-led alliances, Community of Common Destiny, sovereignty, non-interference, US-led military alliances, Cold War mentality, cooperative mechanisms, consent, legitimacy, coercion, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, FOIP, Trump administration, US hegemony, Asia Pacific, liberal internationalist tradition, Biden administration, great power, middle powers, material superiority, normative pillars, US allies, Quad, US-led regional order., j, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, liberal values, Xi Jinping, alternative leadership, Sino-centric region, Chinese model, Belt and Road Initiative, state sovereignty, Global Security Initiative, GSI, political-military blocs, ideological blocs, anti-colonial grievances, Australia, territorial disputes, Code of Conduct for maritime disputes, ASEAN

2023: The future of the QUAD in the Indo-Pacific

As a reinvigorated Quad steps up its engagement, some observers have called for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to establish a permanent presence in the Indo-Pacific via a standing maritime force. But how viable is this idea?

Pacific9DLJanuary 11, 20239dashline, The future of the QUAD in the Indo-Pacific, Quad, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, standing maritime force, Blake Herzinger, United States, military, vaccination, supply chains, climate, maritime security, Maritime Domain Awareness initiative, Quad vaccine partnership, Beijing, China, Australia, India, Japan, Horn of Africa, military alliance, Indian Ocean, New Delhi, South or East China Seas, East China Seas, South China Sea, navy, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, Gulf of Aden, maritime trade, geoeconomic, Pacific islands, Canberra, Pacific arc, Retired US Admiral Gary Roughead, Pentagon, Washington, defence planning, sea control, Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine, rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom of navigation and overflight, Quad Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief meeting, Asian NATO, Quad Leaders’ Meeting, Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, Oceania, Southeast Asia, Taiwan Straits, Korean peninsula, ASEAN, Canada, south korea, Taiwan

Best of 2022: The Indo-Pacific

Take this opportunity to review some of our most-read analyses from the past year on the evolving strategies of several countries toward the Indo-Pacific.

Faultlines9DLJanuary 2, 2023Preparing for a crowded Indo-Pacific: where to next?, Gabriele Abbondanza, Korea, indonesia, Australia, South Korea, Europe, indo-pacific, Is South Korea’s new Indo-Pacific strategy finally forthcoming?, Wongi Choe, Moon Jae-in, south korea, japan, australia, Elli Pohlkamp, Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp, Tokyo, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, United States, China, Christiane Heidbrink, Putin, Germany, Scholz, Bundeswehr, Asia-Pacific, France, Rafael Loss, Elisabeth I-Mi Suh, Hamburg Institute for Peace Research, Berlin, The Bundeswehr in the Indo-Pacific, German Council on Foreign Relations, DGAP, The fate of the Indo-Pacific: Lessons from Ukraine and US diplomacy towards Taiwan, Reuben Steff, Martin Jirušek, US, Taiwan, The US should prioritise the Indo-Pacific over Ukraine, Aine Cooke

Western Indian Ocean: The missing piece in the US Indo-Pacific Strategy

Written by Rushali Saha

The Biden administration’s expansion of the geographic definition of the Indo-Pacific to include the entire Indian Ocean, while a positive first step, is merely a symbolic move unless complemented with concrete policy action.

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President Biden’s more strategic competition with China

Written by Nathaniel Sher

Washington understands that it is competing with Beijing to determine not only whose economy and military are more dominant but also whose principles of governance are more worthy of global leadership.

Using logistics to strengthen and expand the Quad

Written by John Holthaus

The countries that make up the Quad should use the existing approved agreements — including strengthening their relationship through maritime logistics and ship repair — before China completes its planned expansion into the IOR.

Japan’s strategic policies under the current global order

Written by Elli Pohlkamp

This behaviour of inactivity and standing on the sidelines has changed now, driven by the concern that one day Japan might need help from its Western alliance partners should the security situation around Japan change.

Pacific9DLApril 7, 20229dashline, Elli Pohlkamp, Japan, Tokyo, Shinzo Abe, Fumio Kishida, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Putin, China, Beijing, Xi Jinping, Rules based Order, NATO, EU, energy security, Northern Territories, UN Charter, Sanctions, East China Sea, South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Sino-Russian, Tsugaro Strait, LNG, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, FOIP, United States, US, ASEAN, Australia, India, CPTPP, RCEP, EPA, Economic Partnership Agreement, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, QUAD, National Security Strategy, NSS, National Defense Program Guidelines, NDPG, Medium Term Defense Force Buildup, MTDP, 2+2, indonesia, France, Reciprocal Access Agreement, RAA, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, LDP, G7, Japan’s strategic policies under the current global order, Free and open Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, UN, United Nations, Taiwan, Europe, European, European Union, Quad, Medium Term Defense Force Buildup Program, Kishida, Prime Minister Abe, European Council on Foreign Relations, ECFR

Cope North 2022: Deepening security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Bec Strating

Both the 2022 Cope North exercise and the Tonga example highlight concerns that hard and soft security are not so easily distinguishable.

Abe Shinzo: A legacy in review

Written by Felix Kuhn

Pragmatism served Abe well, making it possible to steady Japan’s relationship with China while building up a coalition of partners in the region. Suga has so far shown no inclination to depart from Abe’s footsteps. But it is not yet clear whether Abe’s policy is sustainable over the long term.