Seoul and the Indo-Pacific Alliance Framework: Through an Indian Lens
Jagannath P. Panda
Introduction:
For long, South Korea has not fulfilled its middle power potential despite its economic and technological prowess. A large part of it is certainly due to the balancing required to offset the US-China rivalry and the inordinate stress on North Korea, but the resolve for greater diplomatic outreach has also been certainly lacking. Fortunately, the ascent of the new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has signaled a change in approach that has been (as of now) in line with the projected enthusiasm of Indo-Pacific partners. At the same time, Yoon’s recent overtures as “unilateral diplomacy” (i.e., overtly pro-US and anti-China) is seen critically, which is against national interests and harmful for the Northeast Asia security in the longer term.
Related Publications
-
Kishida’s New Era Realism in National Security and India Diplomacy
The Ukraine war and double threat from China and North Korea in Japan’s backyard have pushed Tokyo to update national security plans and step up India ties. On December 16, […]
-
Seoul’s Geopolitical Code on Quad: Imperative or Elective?
Abstract: Under the new government helmed by President Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea (ROK) has displayed a clear tilt toward and a more open embrace of the Indo- Pacific concept. Interestingly, […]
-
Enlarging Indo-Pacific into the Orbit of Euro-Atlantic: Implications for India
Abstract: Following the release of the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy that called for building bridges between the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic, the idea of interlinking the two geopolitical theaters has […]
-
Post-Abe India-Japan Ties: Does Kishida Have What it Takes?
Introduction: Two Japan-India summit meetings between prime ministers Kishida Fumio and Narendra Modi in 2022 underscore their accelerating Special Strategic and Global Partnership. This partnership is based on the shared values of freedom, […]
-
Quad 4.0? To Securitize or Not to Securitize
From an ad-hoc body that emerged to coordinate a response to a devastating tsunami in 2004, the Quad has grown into a critical and formalized framework with a practical agenda. […]
-
In Search of an EU-India-Japan Trilateral
Introduction: Even before the war in Ukraine, the European Union had been gearing toward an “increasingly competitive strategic environment” by developing its geo-political autonomy to meet Europe’s security responsibility and reduce strategic […]