Competing strategic imaginaries in Asia

The contemporary struggle in Asia is as much about competing strategic 'imaginaries' as it is about military or economic power. Geopolitics is a way of framing the world; it rests on imagining and prioritizing some form of connectivity: which parts are connected to each other more importantly than with others? Thus, geopolitical competition is essentially a contest over which imagined connected community is most important.

Goh analyses the three main competing strategic imaginaries of Asia today: the 'Asia-Pacific'; a revived 'Greater Asia' made possible by China's resurgence; and the 'Indo-Pacific' visions. All three will persist for the foreseeable future, and will affect how international actors deal with Asia.

Evelyn Goh is the Shedden Professor of Strategic Policy Studies at the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, ANU, where she is also Deputy Director (Research) of the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. Her research expertise lies in Asian security and international order. Her latest book (co-authored with Barry Buzan) is Re-thinking Sino-Japanese Alienation: History Problems and Historical Opportunities (Oxford University Press, 2020). She is the Lead Chief Investigator of SDSC's research and engagement program on 'Strategic Policy for the Asia-Pacific in Transition', and CI of the ARC Discovery Project on 'The Infrastructure of China's Influence in Southeast Asia'.

This series of Public Lectures seeks to stimulate public discussion on major challenges relating to Australia's strategic and defence policy and to contribute to the vital national conversation about Australia's future in the Indo-Pacific.