Geopolitical Competition and Strategic Shifts in South Asia: Analysing the Indo-Pacific Strategy

The paper argues that the reconceptualisation of a new geopolitical construct in Indo-Pacific strategy, within a global context, is shifting back to traditional alignments and realigning the regional security architecture, as well as economic pathways through South Asia. However, from a broader perspective, what has implications for the argument is the way these three power brokers are forcing countries everywhere to respond to their recasting of the global order. This paper, building on academic literature and the neoclassical realism framework, demonstrates through a qualitative study that South Asia has evolved into a significant region, rather than just another theatre. The study results suggest a shift in India’s multi-alignment strategy from reactive to proactive, which seeks to safeguard national interests amid the great power competition in a pragmatic manner. This is further complicated by India’s geopolitical ambitions, which come into conflict with its careful, often suspicion-laden, trade practices. The rise of minilateral forums, such as the Quad, also underscores a strategic realignment. The paper concludes that the region’s future is defined, in part, by how these nations handle this delicate mix of collaboration, competition, and strategic autonomy.

Keywords: Geopolitical Competition, India, Indo-Pacific Strategy, Multi-alignment, Quad, South Asian politics, Strategic autonomy