Conceptualizing Strategic Partnerships (original) (raw)
India and Japan: Assessing the Strategic Partnership
India and Japan: Assessing the Strategic Partnership, 2018
This volume focuses on the rapidly expanding strategic relationship between India and Japan, expanding on the hitherto under-analyzed concept of “strategic partnership,” tracing the history of the interaction, and gauging its current and future trajectories. The rise of China and its challenge to U.S. dominance of the global system is the setting in which the partnership has assumed a major profile, incorporating both defence and economic cooperation on an unprecedented scale. The increasing congruence of Indian and Japanese interests is juxtaposed with the inherent limitations of the partnership to portray a complex picture of a kind of strategic relationship that has become a staple of contemporary international politics.
Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, 2024
India-Japan relations over the last two decades have become a regionally and globally oriented 'strategic partnership' from a narrow bilateral economic relationship. A key factor driving this transformation has been the discourse of the Indo-Pacific regional construct. Considering the overwhelming space occupied by maritime affairs in the bilateral strategic agenda, describing contemporary India-Japan relations as an India-Japan Indo-Pacific Strategic Partnership is justified. The article attempts to provide an evolutionary account of the India-Japan Indo-Pacific strategic partnership. In doing so, it identifies four phases in the evolution of the partnership: conception, actualisation, consolidation, and resilience, corresponding to the evolution of the Indo-Pacific concept from a geographic idea to a strategic concept to a regional order framework.
Framework for Indo-Japanese Strategic Partnership and Cooperation
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India and Japan: Exploring Strategic Potentials Focus
2010
The strategic environment of the world, particularly in Asia, is in a state of dramatic flux. The overwhelming economic and military presence of the United States in Asia is on the wane. China is a rising power, both economically and militarily, and its power projection capabilities are causing concern amongst its neighbours. Though the United States is a declining power, China is not the logical successor, not at least in the near term. These developments have led to realignment of power equations between countries in Asia. In this unfolding strategic landscape, India and Japan, two important players in Asia, are exploring the strategic dimension of their relationships. While growth momentum in the economic domain is not at the desired level, the institutional political structure provides the platform for honing the potentials to their mutual benefits. As a result, a great deal of commonalities is now visible in strengthening bilateral ties in political, economic and security field...
From Condemnation to Strategic Partnership: Japan's Changing View of India (1998-2007)
Japan's strong response to India's nuclear testing in May 1998 sent the bilateral relationship to its lowest point in the postwar period. Loud condemnation, nationally and internationally, and the imposition of economic and diplomatic sanctions by Japan against India, produced a bumpy relationship through the late 1990s. Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's visit to India in August 2000 was a lubricant for smoothing relations considerably and set the precedent for visits to India by his successors Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006) and Shinzo Abe (2006-2007). All three prime ministers preceding the current Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda offered firm hands of friendship to India, with 2007 marking a bilateral Year of Friendship. The Japanese leaders sought to strengthen bilateral ties through new initiatives and programmes ranging from economic and cultural linkages to defence and security. What, then, explains Japan's new-found interest in India, especially after Tokyo's highly critical attitude towards India in the late 1990s? Both external and internal factors have inclined Japan to India. Externally, the China factor-China's rapid rise to a nation of great economic and politico-strategic strength-is most dominant in Japan's strategic thinking. In this context, Tokyo perceives India as a strategically valuable counterbalance to China. Even the business community in Japan that regarded India as a basket case, as far as commercial prospects were concerned, is now giving much more attention to India, particularly after public attacks on Japanese businesses in China in 2005 and a more fertile economic climate in India after market-opening reforms. Importantly, since the United States remains Japan's key security ally and major economic partner, Washington's moves to forge stronger politico-security ties with India, particularly evident from the early 2000s, implicitly sanction Japan's strategic relations with India. investment even in smaller Asian countries such as Vietnam, not to mention China. Yet both sides are aware that more can be done in these areas and in recent years both sides have introduced ideas and plans including for a bilateral free trade agreement. Joint study groups and think tanks have produced several reports for the two national governments, recommending steps to improve economic and other bilateral ties. Links at the grassroots level, such as people-to-people exchanges, sister-city programmes, and ties between educational and scientific institutions have also been slow to develop, despite Japan's strong grassroots activism in many Asian countries. The deficit is being tackled at different levels. Now government organisations, think tanks, public opinion makers and media in Japan favour greater engagement with India. Furthermore, the growing Indian community in Japan, especially newcomers such as IT engineers, is also playing a role in enhancing India's image in Japan and building bridges between the two nations. Japanese official perception of India's strategic importance to Japan and the consequent new momentum in the two nations' bilateral relationship are likely to continue no matter who heads government in Japan, given developments now under way on the Asia Pacific region's geo-strategic landscape. Changes in government and political leaders in either country may slow the pace of development. However, it is unlikely that the current move towards a closer embrace strategically and economically will be reversed, as Japanese and Indian official recognition of their shared aspirations and the potential benefit of closer ties is mutual.
Modi’s India and Japan: nested strategic partnerships
International Politics, 2021
The three pillars of India's foreign policy strategy under an overarching preference for 'strategic autonomy' are security, economic development, and status. Japan plays a significant part with respect to all three. We employ an analytical framework that assesses how Narendra Modi, in line with a trend set in motion by his predecessors, has attempted to build the India-Japan partnership through a set of nested strategic partnerships: bilateral (India-Japan), trilateral (India-Japan-United States) and quadrilateral (India-Japan-United States-Australia). We examine the extent to which Modi has contributed to the strengthening of each of these partnerships with respect to institutionalisation, security, economic interaction and status. Our findings show the degree of continuity or change wrought by Modi in each case and the reasons for this. We conclude that Modi's transformative impact has been limited, though he has been able to take two of the three strategic partnerships forward to a significant extent.
Poised for Partnership: Deepening India-Japan Relations in the Asian Century
2016
The growing strategic partnership between India and Japan is one of the most important geopolitical developments of the twenty-first century. This volume brings together a cross-generational group of scholars and analysts from both countries to study four key areas of bilateral cooperation: economics, energy and climate change, security, and global governance. The specific issues covered in the book include: trade, investment, energy security, renewable energy, maritime security, peacekeeping, multilateral institutional reform, nuclear non-proliferation, and the rise of China. The contributors to the volume discuss their respective countries’ interests, how successful their country has been in achieving them, the obstacles to deeper bilateral cooperation, and concrete policies that both sides can undertake to impart vitality and longevity to their partnership. At present, there is a dearth of policy-relevant scholarly literature on India–Japan relations. This volume comprehensively fills this niche at a particularly opportune moment, when New Delhi and Tokyo have signalled their intention to significantly increase bilateral cooperation.
India and Japan: Growing Partnership and Opportunities for Co-operation
This e-book is a compilation of the papers presented by the speakers during a two-day International Conference, curated around the theme ‘India and Japan: Growing Partnership and Opportunities for Cooperation’, organised by CPPR – Centre for Strategic Studies, Kochi in collaboration with the Consulate-General of Japan in Chennai on February 26–27, 2019 at Riviera Suites in Kochi. It consists of eight chapters providing a comprehensive outlook on India-Japan relations.
Japan's strategic outreach to India and the prospects of a Japan–India alliance
International Affairs, 2018
Largely driven by Japan's strategic outreach to India, Tokyo and Delhi have rapidly improved relations and enhanced their strategic cooperation since the turn of the century. Today, developments in bilateral relations are moving faster than journalists and analysts can track, leading many observers to posit the emergence of Japan–India alliance. This article analyses the reasons behind Japan's strategic outreach to India and explores the conditions under which an alliance—understood as a formal association of states for the use (or nonuse) of military force in specific circumstances against a third party—might emerge between the two countries. It draws on existing scholarship on interstate alliances to examine the possible objectives, contours, operation and impact of such an alliance. It concludes that there are major obstacles in the way of an alliance forming and operating successfully. These include India's commitment to strategic autonomy; the incentives for limiting commitments and ‘buck-passing’ within a putative alliance; Chinese opposition and Beijing's ability to economically punish both parties; and differing views on US hegemony, world order and future Great Power status. Ultimately, Japan and India are better off being aligned—as they currently are—and not allied.
Evolution of Strategic Relation: Changing Dynamics of India-Japan Relations
The paper is a review of the book, Changing Dynamics of India-Japan Relations: Buddhism to Special Strategic Partnership (Pentagon Press, 2017) authored by Shamshad Ahmad Khan. The book mainly focuses on deepening Japan-India relations in the fields cultural, political, economic and security, especially maritime security, trade as well as energy. It pays special attention to the recent Nuclear Deal between Japan and India. Further, the book extensively examines the China factor in Japan-India’s thriving relation. Undoubtedly, cultural and religious linkages have played an important role in fostering the bilateral relations even when there were no stronger political and economic relations between the two Asian nations. The author attempts to trace these connections, in the opening chapter, giving an overall aspect of India-Japan relations.
India's Foreign Policy towards Japan: Special Partnership amid Regional Transformation
Ritsumeikan Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 2020
India and Japan have upgraded their cordial relations to a special strategic partnership. The deepening of this relation is particularly evident since 2014, when Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India, thus leading the nation to embark on a new journey of consolidating regional influence and establishing itself as a regional power amid the rise of China and regional transformations. India is very keen on furthering the special partnership with Japan, which not only allows Indian presence in regional strategic and security architecture, but also does not hinder the Indian autonomy. This paper, through the analysis of India's Japan strategy, security and infrastructure agreements, especially since 2014, seeks to address how India's foreign policy towards Japan has undergone changes to allow for India's greater role in Asia and what factors have led to these changes in India's Japan policy. The paper argues that realist perspective of balance of power in the backdrop of the rise of China as well as constructivist perspective of India's principle of nonalignment (despite strategic friendships), have been the base of India's Japan policy under Modi government, to pursue and promote greater Indian presence in geo-political and geo-strategic spheres. The paper analyses the India-Japan partnership as a response to emerging regional security challenges, explores the prospects of the partnership and charts the course of changing Indian diplomacy towards Japan.
Strategic alliances and alignments in the Indo-Pacific
Routledge eBooks, 2023
The aim of this chapter is to discuss the different strategic alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. Looking at the connections, overlapping interests and common enemies/rivals, this chapter will analyse the relationships between different states. Strategic alliances, alignments and partnerships are a way for states to strengthen their connections, without always formalising them. They are also a way to fulfil certain goals, be it security, deterrence or economic growth. Some of these alliances have endured throughout the Cold War and beyond: US-Japan, US-Korea and US-Australia relations have all been building blocks for regional architecture in Asia, largely based around US presence and liberal values. On the other hand a new group of partnerships has emerged, driven by common interests and common security threats. These new partnerships also play a role in strengthening the role of each individual state in the region and power consolidation. The many lines of partnerships and alliances make the Indo-Pacific a very tricky region to navigate, as even allies have sometimes opposing interests, while states without friendly relations find themselves siding together to fight off a common threat.
India-Japan Vision 2025: Deciphering the Indo-Pacific Strategy
Indian Foreign Affairs Journal , 2018
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s strategic pursuit of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, anchored in his conceptualisation of ‘Confluence of the Two Seas’ and founded on the principle of concert of democracies, has created space for India in Japan’s Grand Strategy. India has been identified as a key variable in the geopolitical churning that is shaping the Indo-Pacific discourse both in Japan and the US. However, as policy positions are articulated by respective leaders, ambiguities around the Indo-Pacific puzzle demands more clarity. While President Trump and Prime Minister Abe are aligned in terms of pursuing the Indo-Pacific strategy with the objective of managing the US-led strategic order amidst Chinese attempts in claiming equity in international affairs with alternative ideas and institutions, Prime Minister Modi has articulated India’s Indo-Pacific vision as a free, open and ‘inclusive’ construct. India’s approach toward geopolitical realities is guided by a balance between engagement and autonomy. While there is alignment of interests which has led India to develop an ‘action oriented partnership’ for its Indo-Pacific Vision 2025 with Japan and pursue robust security and economic engagement with the US but containment of China has not been the objective of India’s foreign policy approach. Meanwhile, Japan’s strategy is shaped by the complex interplay of security and economic interests within the Japan-US-China triangle. Although there are certain gaps in each country’s nuanced interpretation of the Indo-Pacific construct, a few common elements define India-Japan ‘winning combination’ in the Indo-Pacific such as upholding ASEAN centrality; the objective of securing strategic stability and economic prosperity based on the pillars of shared universal values; facilitating infrastructure and connectivity between the sub-regions including Bay of Bengal, Mekong region and the Indian Ocean for better economic integration and leveraging regional production networks and value chains; and securing maritime global commons by strengthening security cooperation with like-minded partners. India-Japan Vision 2025 is rooted on ‘action oriented partnership’ advancing universal values and furthering rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific. As regional fluidity both in terms of geopolitics and geo-economics are unfolding greater uncertainty, India and Japan as two major Asian powers and economies have coordinated in forward thinking while steering the challenges and realising the opportunities that this maritime super-region has to offer.
Master's Thesis, 2020
holds a geo-strategically important position in the Indian Ocean as well as in the Indo-Pacific region, making it a key partner to various democracies across the world for security as well as geo-economic partnerships in the region. Under the present Modi administration, India’s relations with Japan got a major spotlight under India’s Act East Policy (AEP) as well as India’s engagement in the US and Japan-led Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), leading to India joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). In the backdrop of growing Indian prominence and proactiveness in Asia and beyond, the thesis raises the research questions: How has India’s foreign policy towards Japan as well as Quad and FOIP changed under the Modi administration (2014-2019)? What factors have influenced India’s foreign policy towards Japan as well as Quad and Indo-Pacific? The thesis focuses on India's policy towards its bilateral relationship with Japan as well as a multilateral approach towards FOIP. Using the case study method for empirical analysis, it analyzes India’s Japan as well as the Quad and Indo-Pacific policy through the lens of IR theories- Realism and Constructivism. The thesis argues that the rise of Chinese influence in and around the Indian Ocean has impacted India’s foreign policy towards Japan to a certain extent, while greatly affecting India’s Indo-Pacific policy. The thesis also argues that India's guiding foreign policy ideal of non-alignment has made India's policy towards Japan and FOIP symbolically non-aligned, wherein India has exercised varying degrees of caution in partnering with other countries to preserve its strategic autonomy by engaging in strategic issue-based engagements with nations without allying with any.
Beyond Bilateral: The Constitutive Dimensions of Strategic Partnership between Japan and Thailand
Insignia: Journal of International Relations
This article discusses bilateral state cooperation that was developed, with the agreement of both states, into a more comprehensive and long-term partnership, known as a Strategic Partnership. The dynamics in the bilateral relationship between these states, then become an attraction to further analyze the Japan-Thailand strategic partnership. The focus in this article is on the function of the strategic partnership, the roles of the two actors, and viewing it in a constitutive dimension. The author uses qualitative research using primary and secondary data in analyzing. The relationship and interactions between Japan and Thailand are analyzed on three levels: international, bilateral and individual, using the concept of strategic partnership as a social interaction between global actors and the role-playing that occurs. By observing from the perspective of both actors, the authors argue that the strategic partnership agreed upon by Japan and Thailand acts as an agency that facilitat...
World Focus, 2018
India’s ‘Act East’ foreign policy is providing much momentum to the country’s growing relations with East, South and Southeast Asia. This “extended neighbourhood” policy has Japan playing a very critical role economically as well as strategically. If India wants to play a “balancing act” in Asia keeping in mind China’s growing assertiveness, it is important to analysis the scope and potential of India-Japan cooperation. In this regard the paper will first provide a brief historical base underpinning the relationship. Then it will critically examine various avenues for cooperation, based on common stakes and concerns, which are driving the relationship forward. Issues such as contesting Chinese claims in the Indian Ocean, Africa and building ports in strategic locations have profound economic, strategic and geopolitical implications for both the countries. In this context, the paper will present an assessment of the initiatives taken so far and what may lie in the path ahead.
Australian Journal of International Affairs, 2024
Strategic partnerships (SPs) have grown exponentially over the last decade in the Asia-Pacific. However, little remains known in the international security studies (ISS) literature regarding why they have proliferated now and how to best understand what they mean for regional security. In this article, I argue that SPs are best understood as a new security practice in the Asia-Pacific that allows states and multilateral actors to flexibly manage threats, strategic challenges, and interests through cooperation and common norm building. To evidence this argument, I adopt a functional approach to SPs that draws upon the mainstream ISS theories of realism, liberalism and constructivism and synthesises them where possible to draw attention to a wide range of causal factors responsible for them. Analyses guided by eclecticism can provide an all-encompassing tool for explanatory and comparative studies on Asia-Pacific security to draw a broader range of conclusions than any one approach allows for.