| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The rise and integration of the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific rim over the past decade - into an 'Indo-Pacific' zone - and the emerging competition between the region's major powers, has drawn increasing attention. However, France and the United Kingdom, while long established in the Indo-Pacific, are often overlooked, even though they are both themselves starting to refocus on the region. Paris has consolidated a 'quadrilateral' of interlocking military stations, which runs down the western Indian Ocean, while London has boosted its 'strategic array', a collection of military facilities, logistical hubs and regional partners and allies, stretching from the Eastern Mediterranean to South-East Asia. Although fiscally under pressure, both countries seem determined to maintain their influence in the Indo-Pacific, but will nonetheless have their work cut out as emerging powers seek to boost their own respective positions in the region. Thus, the two European powers' ability to remain significant actors will depend on their willingness to coordinate with one another and other allies to focus their geopolitical awareness; create new partnerships with the rising Indo-Pacific countries; and provide the necessary resources to maintain - or better, bolster - their naval reach.
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