ABSTRACT
While tracing the origins of geopolitics, the chapter will also compare different interpretations and parameters of the concept itself and their connections to the rise of Indo-Pacific as a tool for understanding the dynamics in Asia. The first section discusses the classical geopolitical insights of Halford J. Mackinder, Alfred T. Mahan, Karl E. Haushofer and Nicholas J. Spykman. The second section reviews the geopolitical effect of China’s rise onto the regional and global stage. Section 3 tracks the first appearances of the Indo-Pacific (IP) in political discourse while Section 4 pieces together how three major powers – the United States, Japan and India – have reacted to China’s rise and built the IP as a region from security, economic and institutional perspectives. In this part, the analysis highlights similarities and differences between the three perspectives. In the fifth part, the chapter investigates how China is responding to its neighbours’ balancing, which geopolitical visions it is advancing and how these are reflected in actual proposals of regional integration. The remainder of the chapter summarises what lessons can be drawn for understanding the IP from a geopolitical perspective.
