Indo-Pacific here, there, and everywhere
The "INDO-PACIFIC" has been in the news for some time now. All this buzz and hype around the "INDO-PACIFIC" seems to be an east vs. west showdown with the actual people in the "INDO-PACIFIC" being stuck in the middle. Are we hopeless to the whims of the major powers in the Indo-Pacific? What can we do?
What is the Indo-Pacific to begin with? Is it an actual place? An idea? Whose idea? According to the Diplomat, an online magazine specializing in the Asia-Pacific region:
Like every imaginative space, the Indo-Pacific is a construct of contested interpretation, necessitating warring visions and constructs likely to be wrestled out between opposed strategic stakeholders in the region.
That's confusing. An "imaginative space? A "construct of contested interpretation?" So, where is this region? The East Asia Forum says the Indo-Pacific is a "strategic arc connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans through Southeast Asia". Ok. I feel like we're getting warmer.
From what I understand, the area we now call the Indo-Pacific was recently called Asia-Pacific. Remember that? So why the change in name? An Australian newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald claims that Australia was the first country to officially use the term Indo-Pacific in 2013 for their foreign policy white paper. A white paper is basically a government issued report on a particular subject. In this case, the white paper was on foreign policy. In 2018, the US Secretary of Defense announced that the US Pacific Command would change their name to US Indo-Pacific command, "to counter Chinese economic and military pressure in the region." And while in Singapore in August 2021, US Vice President Kamala Harris had this to say about the Indo-Pacific:
“I believe that when the history of the 21st century is written, much of it will be centred right here in the Indo-Pacific,”.... “Our intention is to strengthen our partnerships and reinforce our shared vision … In doing so, there should be no doubt – we have enduring interests in this region, and we have enduring commitments as well.”
Strengthening those enduring commitments, a security pact focusing on the Indo-Pacific was recently signed by the USA, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This three-way security pact is called AUKUS and it includes building a class of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia and of course, working together in a region where "the rise of China is seen as an increasing threat".
Micro(nesian) perspective
When have we seen this sort of name changing and alliances before? I don't know, how about right before both world wars? Lines are being drawn and positions and alliances are being realized and strengthened. It is the war of the words, economic and strategic alliances, and then? Where is this taking us?
What does little ole' Micronesia do in the meantime? Well, let's take inventory of our current situation. We have no military defense force. However, thanks to the Compact of Free Association with the USA, our defense and security are taken care of by the mighty military forces of the USA. We have diplomatic relations as a sovereign nation with all the players mentioned here: the USA, Australia, the United Kingdom, and even the People's Republic of China. We even have the USA, Australian, and Chinese Embassies here in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). We are a member of that global association of nations, the United Nations, with a permanent representative sitting at UN headquarters in New York. We are sitting smack dab in the middle of the Pacific ocean. This is where we stand.
It would behoove us to keep track of these developments in the Indo-Pacific (where we live), especially when it comes to pacts, security, trade, alliances, etc. What else can we do now? Can we somehow, someway benefit from these ongoing alliances, pacts and positioning that is currently happening in the Indo-Pacific? As I stated in an earlier blog post, our compact of free association is currently being negotiated. What can we revisit in terms of this agreement, in light of these alliances, pacts and name changes? I hope our compact negotiators are watching these developments in the Indo-Pacific very closely. I know I am, and every Micronesian should as well.
0 Comments