ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the distinctive ways in which institution-building and emergent regionalism are unfolding in the Indo-Pacific. It argues that the development of institutions in the region mirrors the shifting regional order, influenced by factors such as the post-Cold War decline of bipolarity, China's rise, the US strategic rebalancing, and India's Act East Policy, among others. Additionally, it emphasizes the active efforts of smaller regional states to reshape the regional order, counterbalance the influence of major powers, and promote their own visions of regional governance. The Indo-Pacific's institutional landscape is in the process of transitioning from an ASEAN-centered model of “comfortable,” process-oriented, and open-ended regionalism, established in the early 1990s, to a more fragmented, contested, and nationally driven approach. This shift increasingly reflects the interests of major powers like China, Japan, India, and the United States. By placing these developments within their historical and geopolitical contexts, the chapter explores why a cohesive institutional framework for regionalism in the Indo-Pacific remains elusive and examines how the unique characteristics and decision-making processes of Indo-Pacific multilateral institutions may adapt in response to ongoing geopolitical challenges.
