Indo-Pacific Empire: China, America and the contest for the world's pivotal region - Paperback

by Rory Medcalf (Author)

This book explains why the idea of the Indo-Pacific is so strategically important and concludes with a strategy designed to help the West engage with Chinese power in the region in such a way as to avoid conflict.

Front Jacket

'The Indo-Pacific is an idea whose time has come. ... A fast-paced and fascinating guide to this vital strategic concept.' Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times and author of Easternisation 'A fast-paced ride around the world's newest, and most important, strategic arena. ... This is the world with all the difficult bits left in.' Bill Hayton, author of The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia 'An elegant, and keenly insightful, tour of the Indo Pacific's strategic horizon.' Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister of Australia 'Tightly organised and appealingly written, this is a superb primer on this potential economic juggernaut. A must-read.' James R. Clapper, former US Director of National Intelligence

Back Jacket

The definitive guide to the world's most contested region
The Indo-Pacific is both a place and an idea. It is theregion central to global prosperity and security. It is also a metaphor forcollective action. If diplomacy fails, it will be the theatre of the firstgeneral war since 1945. But if its future can be secured, the Indo-Pacific willflourish as a shared space, the centre of gravity in a connected world.
What we call different parts of the world - Asia, Europe, the Middle East - seems innocuous. But the name of a region is totemic, guidingthe decisions of leaders and the story of international order, war and peace.In recent years, the label 'Indo-Pacific' has suddenly gained wide use. Butwhat does it really mean?
Written by a globally-renowned expert, Indo-Pacific Empire is the definitive guide to tensions in theregion. It deftly weaves together history, geopolitics, cartography, militarystrategy, economics, games and propaganda to address a vital question: how canChina's dominance be prevented without war?

Author Biography

Rory Medcalf is a Professor and Head of the National Security College at the Australian National University. His experience as an Australian diplomat includes postings to New Delhi, Tokyo and Papua New Guinea. He was a senior strategic analyst in Australia's peak intelligence agency, the Office of National Assessments, reporting to the Prime Minister. He was the founding director of the international security program at the Lowy Institute. He has published and been quoted widely in academic journals and all major Australian newspapers as well as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Economist, The South China Morning Post and The Hindu, as well as on the ABC, BBC and CNN.