The Indo-Pacific is a strategic system encompassing the Indian and Pacific oceans, reflecting the expanding interests and reach of China and India as well as the enduring role of the US. The Lowy Institute's International Security program presents a weekly selection of links illuminating the changing security picture in this increasingly connected super-region.
- The Council on Foreign Relations has started a new blog by Janine Davidson on the politics and business of the US military. Well worth a look.
- In retaliation for Russia's invasion of the Crimea, a group of anonymous hackers breached Russian cyber communications last week. The leaked documents reveal the inner workings of the India-Russia defence relationship.
- Late last month, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Varghese gave a speech at the Lowy Institute titled Mapping the Future.For Varghese, the Indo-Pacific 'represents the centre of gravity of Australia's economic and strategic interests.'
- The continuing search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 has sparked a moment of cooperation in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea. However, there are limits.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning his first visit to India after its national election later this year.
- Officials from the US and Japan are meeting in Hawaii to review their bilateral defence guidelines for the first time in two decades.
- Does China benefit from the Crimean crisis?
- President Obama is making a trip to the Indo-Pacific in April. His former National Security Advisor Thomas E Donilon gives a preview of what to expect.
The Lowy Institute International Security Program's work on Indo-Pacific security is supported by two grants from the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation.