Free and Open Indo-Pacific
About the Seminar
The presentation will put the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) initiative that was recently launched by the US in a broader context. FOIP demonstrates that US engagement to share governance of the rules-based order with strategic partners in Asia remains intact but, having met decisive disappointment in its attempts to engage China as a strategic partner in the rules based order, US hopes have shifted to other stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific both large and small. This shift is not due to the whim of the current US president; it reflects structural trends in US and global political economy that augur an ebb tide of globalization. With respect to the scope and prospects of the FOIP, the US is uniquely placed to catalyse actions by others across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to defend their respective stakes in continuing their enjoyment of free and open trading relations conducted under the international rule of law. The resulting loose and decentralized partnership of stakeholders is not designed to contain China. The purpose is to preserve their existing manner of free access and open trade in the region.
About the Speaker
Dr David Arase is Resident Professor of International Politics at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies housed at Nanjing University in China. Prior to his arrival there in 2011 he was a full professor in the Politics Department at Pomona College in Claremont, CA where he had been teaching Asian politics and international relations since 1989. He has written many conference papers, articles, and commentaries regarding the political and strategic implications of China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific region. His three most recent books are edited volumes: Routledge Handbook on Africa-Asia Relations (Routledge, 2017); China’s Rise and East Asian Order (Palgrave, 2016); and The US-Japan alliance: balancing soft and hard power in East Asia (Nissan Institute/Routledge, 2010), which was awarded the Ohira Memorial Foundation Special Prize for works promoting the Pacific Basin Community concept.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to iseasevents2@iseas.edu.sg by 29 July 2019