A lot's being written on the #IndoPacific but much of it seems to miss the mark. In part, it's poor messaging. In part, it's become a Rorschach test. Related concepts (Quad, Malabar) are being conflated. For a common baseline, I thought I'd compile an essential reading list. 1/12
First, the origins of the concept's adoption in official circles can be traced to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's speech to the Indian parliament in 2007, although he doesn't use the exact term. 2/12 mofa.go.jp/region/asia-pa…
There's also a strong antecedent in the U.S. "pivot" or "rebalance" to Asia. Hillary Clinton's initial exposition on that theme is worth revisiting. 3/12 foreignpolicy.com/2011/10/11/ame…
Another antecedent is the Joint Strategic Vision for Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, agreed to by the United States and India in 2015, which outlines the logic of cooperation. 4/12 obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-offi…
The best example of an elegant and comprehensive academic exposition on the Indo-Pacific is this recent speech by @Rory_Medcalf 5/12 policyforum.net/mapping-our-in…
For Japan and the United States, the policy flowing from the concept is described as the "free and open" Indo-Pacific. Abe articulated Japan's views on this towards the end of his speech in Nairobi last year. 6/12 mofa.go.jp/afr/af2/page4e…
Donald Trump's campaign gave hints of their approach to the region even before his election. It's worth recalling that now in hindsight. 7/12 foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/07/don…
An early elaboration of the U.S. 'free and open Indo-Pacific' strategy was by (now ex-) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on a speech notionally about India. But key concepts first articulated here have stuck. 8/12 csis.org/events/definin…
A lot of that found its way into the U.S. National Security Strategy, particularly the section on the Indo-Pacific, starting on p. 45. 9/12 whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong elaborated on the 'free' and 'open' bits in this briefing earlier this year. 10/12 state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/20…
Of course, Japan and the United States are not the only ones to buy into the concept (the U.S. was a late adopter). Here's Australia's official articulation in its Foreign Policy White Paper 11/12 fpwhitepaper.gov.au
And India - which has used the term in official contexts since at least 2013 - saw its approach to the Indo-Pacific elucidated in most detail in Modi's speech in June. 12/12 mea.gov.in/Speeches-State…
Thanks! However, Abe has since distanced himself from the 'democratic diamond' because - in his words - "it lacks ambiguity."
