The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China, and the New Struggle for Global Mastery

Author: Prof. Richard Javad Heydarian

Publisher: Springer Singapore

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" , Springer Professional "Technik"

Table of Contents

About this book

This book places the presidency of Donald Trump as well as the brewing Sino-American Cold War within the broader historical context of American hegemony in Asia, which traces its roots to Alfred Thayer Mahan’s call for a naval build up in the Pacific, the subsequent colonization of the Philippines and, ultimately, reaching its apotheosis after the defeat of Imperial Japan in the Second World War. The book, drawing on visits from Cairo to California and Perth to Pyongyang as well as interviews and exchanges with heads of state and senior officials from across the Indo-Pacific, provides an overview of the arc of American primacy in the region for scholars, journalists, and concerned citizens.

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. The New Cartography of Power

Abstract

Drawing on the observations of global luminaries and strategic thinkers, ranging from Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to legendary naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, the chapter discusses the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as the new pivot of geopolitics in the twenty-first century. It discusses competing visions of the new geopolitical paradigm, ranging from India’s Nehruvian call for a concert of free nations to the Trump administration’s efforts at constraining China’s revisionist ambitions, and what this means for the future of the global order. Finally, it briefly discusses the layout of the book, and how the succeeding chapters provide a comprehensive overview of the emerging security architecture and geopolitical fault lines across the mega-region.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 2. The Trump Doctrine: The Art of Creative Disruption

Abstract

Drawing on British Philosopher Isaiah Berlin’s application of the binary distinction between what the ancient Greek poet Archilochus called the hedgehogs and the foxes, the chapter seeks to decipher the so-called Trump doctrine. It briefly discusses the largely negative views of the global Western intelligentsia towards the controversial American president, while forwarding a more nuanced view, which assesses the potential strengths and much-needed disruption brought about by Trump. The chapter argues that while there are legitimate concerns over the temperament, judgment, and wisdom of the American leader, his heterodox approach to global affairs has introduced new sets of opportunities, which may paradoxically, over the long run, facilitate the creation of a more robust and symmetrical security architecture in the Indo-Pacific.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 3. The Great Distraction: The Near East and North Korea

Abstract

Drawing on the works of Samuel Huntington and Edward Said, the chapter provides an overview of competing visions for American foreign policy and it’s broader geopolitical role in the Greater Middle East. The chapter provides a historical overview of the evolution of American policy in the region; it’s progressive entanglement in regional politics, including in domestic affairs of key states; and the wave of military interventions and armed conflicts, which have sapped American power and prestige in the region and beyond. It looks at how the Greater Middle East could turn into a graveyard for the American Empire unless the Trump administration avoids getting dragged into another conflict in the region, especially with Iran.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 4. Xi Must Be Obeyed: The New Peking Order

Abstract

The chapter discusses the evolution of China’s political economy and foreign policy throughout the post-World War II period, beginning with the revolutionary policies of the Mao Zedong regime to economic opening under Deng Xiaoping, followed by liberalization under Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao administrations and, finally, the global assertiveness of Xi Jinping, who has adopted a more strident foreign policy, which has sent shockwaves across the world. In many ways, Xi is combining the confrontational elements of Mao era with the economic charm offensive of his two predecessors. The chapter places the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) within this broader historical background, providing a prognosis of the future of Chinese foreign policy in the twenty-first century.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 5. The Belt and Road: China as the New Vanguard of Globalization

Abstract

The chapter provides a systematic and comprehensive overview of the strategic intentions and design of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It looks at how infrastructure development has become the new anchor of geopolitical competition, and how varying motivations are simultaneously driving China’s megaproject of the twenty-first century, which is expected to redefine global infrastructure with Chinese characteristics. The chapter looks at how a combination of proactive industrial policy, the need for domestic economic rebalancing, and strategic interest in establishing footprints across global sea lines of communications is driving the BRI project. The chapter also provides an overview of criticisms and inherent limitations of China’s vision of a sino-centric global economic order.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 6. The New Cold War: Sleep-Walking into Great Power Conflict

Abstract

The chapter discusses the emerging ‘New Cold War’ between the United States and China within a broader historical overview of bilateral relations over the past century. From the West’s “forgotten ally” during the Second World War, China became a major strategic adversary in the early Cold War period, especially during the Korea War. But the Nixon administration dramatically altered dyadic relations through a calibrated détente, which was designed to isolate and, eventually, defeat the Soviet Union. For the next four decades, Nixon’s successors largely embraced a policy of engagement towards China. The second decade of the twenty-first century, however, has seen a dramatic recasting in bilateral relations, which have taken an increasingly confrontational character, especially under presidents Xi and Trump.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 7. The Post-American World: Middle Powers and the Coalition of Deterrence

Abstract

The chapter looks at the trajectory of the ongoing trade war and geopolitical competition between the United States and China under the Trump administration, and likely beyond. It looks at the roots of the current great power rivalry and, accordingly, risks and challenges it presents to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. It looks at the role of middle powers in mediating Sino-American competition, and how Japan, India, and Australia, as well as resident European powers, have come to play an increasingly consequential role in preserving a free and open order in the mega-region. In particular, it focuses on the crucial role of Japan as a fulcrum of middle power diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 8. China’s Inchoate Hegemony: Small Powers’ Struggle for Autonomy

Abstract

The chapter looks at the role of smaller powers, especially in Southeast Asia, in shaping the emerging security architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Instead of being pawns of superpowers, many regional states are proactively balancing their relations with external partners and dynamically protecting their cherished strategic autonomy. It looks at how key figures such as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad are pursuing various forms of equilateral balancing strategy in order to protect their national interests and autonomy amid the brewing Cold War between the United States and China. It also looks at the strategies of Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia, as well as the growing footprint of a resurgent Russia in the Indo-Pacific. The chapter questions the validity of the myth of Chinese hegemonic inevitability in Southeast Asia.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Chapter 9. The Revenge of Malthus: Pax Indo-Pacifica and Rhizomatic Order

Abstract

Drawing on the works of diverse thinkers, ranging from Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari to Yuval Noah Harari, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kaplan, Samuel Huntington and Naim Moises, the chapter looks at the longue duree future of the Indo-Pacific security architecture. In particular, it focuses on the likely impact of worsening climate change and disruptive technological innovation on nation-states across the mega-region, and how this necessitates the creation of increasingly robust and nimble patterns of cooperation among regional powers. The chapter looks at the severe vulnerability of the region to the mega-challenges of the twenty-first century, and how this could completely transform nations across the Indo-Pacific as well as their interactions.

Richard Javad Heydarian

Title: The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China, and the New Struggle for Global Mastery
Author: Prof. Richard Javad Heydarian
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Electronic ISBN: 978-981-13-9799-8
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-9798-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9799-8