Awaiting a Pivotal Partnership? The Case of India and South Korea
Jagannath Panda
The shift toward showcasing South Korea as a proactive stakeholder in the global arena—beyond its foreign policy limitations that have thus far centered on Northeast Asian security—has unlocked the potential for wider regional engagement and the growth of ‘like-minded’ pivotal states with global ambitions such as Australia, India, France, Germany, and Japan. In this great transition phase in the global order, which is facing the ill-effects of a widening ideological divide, India has emerged as one of the most prominent states with a burgeoning global profile and hence a natural partner for the ROK. The new shift has fueled hopes of greater strategic autonomy in the ROK’s decision-making and greater strategic clarity as a pivotal state in the new geopolitical environment. Importantly, it has also renewed confidence in the two economic giants and ‘pivotal states’ coalescing their strengths to build a revitalized middle power coalition taking into account the larger aim of maintaining the stability, prosperity, and security of the Indo-Pacific.
Related Publications
-
South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and the IPEF: Convergence and Commonality
For some time now, the existing multilateral networks such as those of the United Nations (UN) system have been largely ineffective in providing good global governance and helping create resilience, […]
-
Strong Europe-Japan Relations are a Legacy of Shinzo Abe
Abe was a firm proponent of strengthening a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific. Not only was he steering Japan away from total dependence on the U.S. for its security, but […]
-
Convergence in Vietnam, EU Interests a Harbinger of Indo-Pacific Order?
In March and April, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son’s nearly back-to-back visits to the U.S. and China highlighted Vietnam’s increasing penchant for delicate diplomacy with major powers amid the […]
-
South Korea-India Ties: Between Bilateralism, Minilateralism, and Multilateralism
In the context of the Indo-Pacific construct, the expanding gaps in global governance, the rise in minilateralism, the need to reinvigorate regional and global multilateralism, and the imperative to strengthen […]
-
India-Japan-Philippines: A Strategic Maritime Trilateral or More?
Regional states like India, Japan, and the Philippines have been seeking cooperative solutions with other middle powers that can both counter the Chinese influence and fulfill other economic as well […]