ABSTRACT
A pure hard-power interpretation of balancing does not create an equilibrium. Constrainment is a strategy of denial; it contributes nothing to trust building and cooperation. While the Indo-Pacific discourse is often closely tied to the Quad, the region’s agency and security management capacity extends far beyond the US and the Indo-Pacific’s best resourced middle powers. This book argued previously that the region’s strength is its diversity, and not harnessing this diversity would be wasting valuable opportunities for peace and stability. This chapter discusses in detail the second order-building project: engagement. The Indo-Pacific’s many small- and medium-sized powers can contribute meaningfully to a regional equilibrium by engaging both great powers and each other in a complex system of multi- and minilateral engagement and cooperation. Engagement is a combination of ASEAN-based institutional mediation and minilateral functional partnerships. These two components of engagement are complementary and help to keep the region involved, cooperative, and functional. Just like the previous chapter, chapter 8 closes with a few concrete policy recommendations.
