Understanding International Relations in the Indo-Pacific

Karmazin, Kolmaš, and Qiao-Franco deconstruct the concept of the Indo-Pacific and offer a timely, comparative, and multidimensional exploration of the region’s international relations.Addressing fundamental academic questions regarding the viability of the Indo-Pacific as a regional conception, this book examines whether the Indo-Pacific is a true regional community or a strategic invention driven by global rivalries and geopolitical interests. Drawing on a rich blend of International Relations, Security Studies, International Political Economy, Human and Political Geography, Cultural Studies, and Area Studies, the book investigates the key thematic areas that define the region’s past, present, and future. They include a historical investigation of formation, enculturation, and demarcation of the region; colonization, decolonization, and construction of the modern state; conflicts and wars in (trans)regional settings; regional economy and development; institutions and other modes of international or transnational cooperation; and cultures, societies and identities within and across the Indo-Pacific countries.An essential read for students, scholars, and practitioners of international affairs who seek to make sense of one of the world’s most dynamic and contested regions.Chapters 2, 3 and 5 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives (CC-BY-ND) 4.0 license.

Aleš Karmazin is Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian Studies, Metropolitan University Prague. He is interested in global order, international politics in the Indo-Pacific, and Chinese politics.Michal Kolmaš is Associate Professor at the Department of Asian Studies, Metropolitan University Prague, and editor-in-chief of the Czech Journal of International Relations. He focuses on climate change in international relations and Japanese foreign policy.Guangyu Qiao-Franco is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Radboud University and Advisory Board Member at the Leiden Asia Centre. Her research covers ASEAN governance, China’s diplomacy, and technology politics.