Executive Summary
Southeast Asian countries use a hedging strategy to manage risks from the US-China rivalry. This involves creating backup options by engaging with potential threats while also deterring them through soft balancing. The paper uses Singapore as a case study to illustrate how regional states diversify economic partners and upgrade defense capabilities in response to rising tensions, particularly over the South China Sea and the US pivot to Asia.
Why It Matters
This document is crucial for defense and geopolitical analysts as it details how smaller nations navigate great power competition, offering insights into regional stability and the effectiveness of hedging strategies in a volatile geopolitical landscape.
Key Takeaways
- Southeast Asian nations use hedging to mitigate risks from US-China rivalry, focusing on engagement and indirect balancing.
- The South China Sea disputes and the US pivot to Asia have intensified the need for direct hedging, leading to economic diversification and defense upgrades.
- Singapore serves as a key case study, illustrating the challenges of balancing relations with both the US and China amidst rising tensions.
- Hedging strategies are becoming increasingly difficult to implement effectively as US-China rivalry intensifies.
Strategic Relevance
The article provides a framework for understanding how middle and small powers adapt their foreign policy to great power competition, offering insights into regional stability, alliance dynamics, and the future of international relations in the Indo-Pacific. It highlights the strategic choices nations make to preserve autonomy and security.