Author : Prashanth Parameswaran
Expert Speak: Raisina Debates
Published on: Nov 13, 2024
The interest of Southeast Asian states in BRICS should be viewed from a broader perspective of regional and global institutional flux
The interest among some Southeast Asian states in engaging with the expanding BRICS has attracted much attention. As geopolitical dynamics continue to play out, it will be important to situate them within the broader context of institutional flux in the wider Indo-Pacific region, and the interests of Southeast Asian states as they engage in this shifting geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape.
Shifts in the Indo-Pacific institutional mix are far from new. During the Cold War, amid shifting power balances, United States (US) bilateral alliances coexisted with indigenous multilaterals like the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and non-US minilaterals like the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) in Southeast Asia. In the post-Cold War period, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expanded and cemented its role as an Indo-Pacific convenor, but new institutions also formed to foster growth and address crises, be it the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum or the Quad after the Indian Ocean tsunami.
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