IWPO 711
4 Credits
The Indo-Pacific region has surfaced as a critical strategic space where inter-state competition is fundamentally reshaped. As a designated “priority theater,” the Indo-Pacific is home to nearly two-thirds of humanity and a history of inter-state warfare between various nuclear-armed neighbors. The region hosts the world’s most trafficked sea lines of communication as global wealth moves eastward. At the same time, the evolving threat environment continues to exacerbate as the strategic power competition between the U.S. and China intensifies. The ideological facet of the competition demonstrates the long-term impact of contrasting models of governance and values.
As leading experts designate the Indo-Pacific “as the most consequential theater” year after year, this regional course seeks to enhance a thought leader’s ability to sustainably conduct the art of strategy making. The Indo-Pacific has four culturally distinct sub-regions: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific. The escalating geopolitical competition in this strategic space requires relevant stakeholders to proactively tailor policy to each critical sub-region.
As such, this course will begin with a high-level discussion of the evolution of this strategic space. The second section will draw historical guidance to illustrate how the complex interplay of these factors prompts stakeholders to execute strategic decisions.
Students will build on many state-level considerations, such as strategic culture, domestic politics, and economics, to consider the role of individuals and ideological decision-making processes.
The final section of the course will examine each sub-region for two to three weeks at a time. The first week of each subregional module will provide the cultural, historical, and strategic imperatives of state actors in the priority theater, followed by a comprehensive examination of current sub-regional and, in many cases, country-specific U.S. policies, accomplishments, and potential vulnerabilities to manage consequences.
