ABSTRACT
All geo-political and geo-strategic concepts are destined to evolve gradually and get redefined to suit the evolving regional and international strategic context and wither away when they cease to serve their purpose. The Indo-Pacific concept too is a geo-strategic and geo-political construct and is emerging to serve specific purposes. In Southeast Asia, people have seen many such concepts passing through various stages of evolution and then also fading into history. The Japanese leader Shinzo Abe is credited with having launched the idea of the Indo-Pacific in 2007 in a speech delivered at the Parliament of India. Many policymakers and foreign policy pundits initially hesitated in endorsing the Indo-Pacific concept when Abe announced it. The United States (US) has also tried to reach out to the countries which are seen as important in the emerging strategic context created by China’s rise, though they are not part of any strategic alliance with the former so far.
