Southeast Asia’s Strategic Engagement with BRICS: Navigating the Indo-Pacific Institutional Landscape

Keywords: BRICS, Southeast Asia, Indo-Pacific, geopolitics, institutional flux, ASEAN, regional alliances

Overview

The growing interest among Southeast Asian nations in engaging with an expanded BRICS reflects broader shifts in Indo-Pacific geopolitics. As regional and global alliances evolve, understanding the motivations behind Southeast Asian states’ engagement with BRICS requires situating these interests within a complex institutional landscape that includes longstanding alliances, emerging economic partnerships, and shifting power dynamics.

Historical Context: Institutional Layers in the Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific region’s institutional framework has evolved through various phases. During the Cold War, the United States maintained bilateral alliances, such as those with Japan and South Korea, while regional multilateral structures like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) in Southeast Asia operated independently. The post-Cold War era saw the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) solidify its convening role in the region. Simultaneously, new platforms emerged to address security, economic growth, and disaster management, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Evolving Role of BRICS and Southeast Asia’s Interests

BRICS’ expansion signals the creation of a more inclusive and diversified geopolitical bloc, attracting Southeast Asian states seeking alternative avenues for economic and political engagement outside traditional Western-aligned structures. These states’ interest in BRICS reflects aspirations to maintain a non-aligned stance, benefit from multi-faceted partnerships, and enhance resilience amid great-power rivalries in the Indo-Pacific.

Strategic Implications

As Southeast Asian countries engage with BRICS, they navigate an institutional environment rich with historical alliances and emerging networks. This engagement can be seen as part of a broader strategy to balance interests across both East and West, while retaining sovereignty and stability within a region that is increasingly central to global economic and strategic interests. Southeast Asia’s approach illustrates its proactive role in shaping a multipolar Indo-Pacific, one where regional dynamics are influenced by an intricate interplay of institutional commitments.

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