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Indo-Pacific research group

The complexity of Indo-Pacific and its rising importance as a key pillar of global geopolitics makes it necessary to engage in academic reflection on the concept. This research group on the Indo-Pacific approaches this task from a multidisciplinary and sectoral perspective, with the aim to contribute to the understanding of regional dynamics and to produce academic research that is usable by UK and European policy makers.

Our key areas of interest include the geo-strategy of the Indo-Pacific, and China's position in it, the vision of individual resident actors in relation to the US-China strategic competition, their vision of the Indo-Pacific and the role of non-resident actors (essentially UK and Europeans) in it.

Find out more about our work in our research aims and objectives.

The Indo-Pacific as a key pillar of western foreign policies

The “Indo-Pacific” has emerged as a key strategic concept organising the immense space that stretches from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Since Shinzo Abe's Japan showed the way as early as 2007, western actors including the United States (US), Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the European Union (EU) have incorporated this concept in their strategic thinking and elaborated concrete policies towards the region. The adoption of this concept by both, regional and extra-regional powers, has evolved as a response to China's growing influence in the region.

While these actors share a common view of the Indo-Pacific, their concrete understanding of the concept vary from country to country, generally along three key axes. First, these actors have varying attitudes towards Beijing and their strategies differ on how explicitly they articulate their concerns. While the US is more confrontational, others have avoided singling out Beijing for fear of economic or military retaliation. Second, another key difference arises as to whether these countries prioritise diplomatic, economic and scientific cooperation, aimed at forging closer ties with the region, or whether they focus on military engagement, thus following a balance of power logic. Third, countries differ on their preferred means for implementing their policies towards the region. Some actors have channelled their strategies through multilateral mechanisms, while others have relied on the creation of “minilateral” frameworks, such as AUKUS or the Quad, or on cooperation with key regional partners.

Members

Mauro Bonavita

Mauro Bonavita

PhD Student

Christophe Jaffrelot

Christophe Jaffrelot

Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology

Walter Ladwig III

Walter Ladwig III

Senior Lecturer in International Relations

Zeno Leoni

Zeno Leoni

Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department

Nicola Leveringhaus

Nicola Leveringhaus

Senior Lecturer

Linganaden Murday

Linganaden Murday

Research Aide to Mr El Ghassim Wane

Astrid Nordin

Astrid Nordin

Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations

Ramon Pacheco Pardo

Ramon Pacheco Pardo

Head of the Department of European & International Studies and Professor of International Relations

Alessio Patalano

Alessio Patalano

Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia

Tobias Scholz

Tobias Scholz

PhD student

Anna Tan

Anna Tan

PhD Student

Quad Vadis? A Risk Assessment of the Quad’s Emerging Cybersecurity Partnerships

Tobias Scholz

Tobias Scholz, from King’s College London Indo-Pacific Research Group, analyses the potential geopolitical and economic risks involved for Quad cybersecurity cooperation. The article was published in the Global Policy Journal’s Observer Research Foundation Series.

The Indo-Pacific: A Survey of the Key Issues and Debates

Mauro Bonavita, Linganaden Murday and Tobias Scholz

The Indo-Pacific has emerged as key organizing, yet contested, concept in global geopolitics. Against this backdrop, Mauro Bonavita, Linganaden Murday and Tobias Scholz, from King’s College London Indo-Pacific Research Group, survey the evolution and current state of the debate on the Indo-Pacific. They address this topic from the perspective of regional and extra-regional powers, as well as by paying particular attention to the challenges and opportunities arising from the adoption of the Indo-Pacific construct.

03/01/23

Dr Natasha Kuhrt shares her research on Russia’s role in the Indo-Pacific

Dr Natasha Kuhrt, Senior Lecturer in International Peace & Security in the Department of War Studies, presented on Russia's role in Asia, with particular reference to the Indo-Pacific context. The event was chaired by Professor Christophe Jaffrelot, Avantha Chair Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology, and Director of this research group. It took place online on 15 December 2022.

Watch the replay

 

01/11/22

Global Institutes host inaugural workshop launching the Indo-Pacific Research Group

The inaugural Indo-Pacific Research Group workshop addressed opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific in the context of China’s rise and a changing regional order.

The closed roundtable discussion welcomed delegates and officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Cabinet Office, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Australian High Commission to the UK and the European Union (EU) Delegation to the UK. The workshop brought together scholars from within King’s College London (who are members of the new Indo-Pacific Research Group), public officials and government representatives within and beyond the UK to address various security, economic and political issues within the Indo-Pacific region.

This event highlights the core mission of IPRG that will drive its future events, to bridge the gap between academia and policymaking, and to discuss prospective partnerships between government and academia to create impact on strategy and foreign policy challenges faced by the UK and their like-minded partners interested with the region.

During the workshop, delegates and scholars discussed contemporary issues in the Indo-Pacific region ranging from the EU’s perspectives of and interests in the region, India’s maritime strategy, cyber-power diplomacy and strategy, and the role of Africa, the role of Australia, UK and the US, as well as Chinese perspectives of the region.

Avantha Chair Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology, and Director of the IPRG, Professor Christophe Jaffrelot remarked: “This workshop showed that the idea of the Indo-Pacific is not a monolith: far from that. Not only can we find Indo-Pacific strategies find different depending on their perspectives (e.g. military, cultural, economic), but their intensity varies a lot from one country to the other, partly according to the China variable.”

The IPRG comprises of researchers at various stages of their career. Members present at the workshop were Professor Christophe Jaffrelot (King’s India Institute), Cristina De Esperanza (Department of Political Economy), Mauro Bonavita (King’s India Institute), Tobias Scholz (King’s India Institute), Linganaden Murday (African Leadership Centre), Dr Zeno Leoni (Defence Studies), Anna Tan (Lau China Institute), Dr Nicola Leveringhaus (Department of War Studies) and Professor Alessio Patalano (Department of War Studies). Other members of the group also include Dr Walter Ladwig III (Department of War Studies), Professor Astrid Nordin (Lau China Institute) and Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo (Department of European & International Studies).

The event marks the official launch of the research group and paves the way to produce more policy-relevant research on the Indo-Pacific, through increasing dialogue and collaboration between government and academia, for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

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