German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

Workshop

Geopolitics, Militarisation and Risk - A New Case for Confidence Building Measures in the Indo-Pacific

Date

27/11/2023 - 28/11/2023

Bild Workshop Geopolitics Indo-Paciifc November 2023

Military application of emerging and disruptive technologies is taking place in various hotspots from the Korean Peninsula to the South China Sea, and beyond in the Indo-Pacific. This comes on top of rising defence budgets, rapid military modernisation, and procurement of game-changing capabilities that threaten the regional balance of power, increasing fear and instability.

What kind of approaches, initiatives or instruments such as arms control, transparency mechanisms or enhanced CBMs would be needed to mitigate conflict risks to the extent possible? What role can regional security institutions and regional small and middle powers play in this regard?

Based on a mapping of simmering conflicts in the region and a discussion of these topics undertaken in a first GIGA workshop in April 2023 at national level, voices of the Indo-Pacific region from think tanks, academia, and government are now invited to share their insights and explore ideas. GIGA and the EU funded "Enhancing Security Cooperation in and with Asia (ESIWA)" Project, as co-organisers, bring together expert individuals (researchers and government officials) from the region and Europe with expertise on the Indo-Pacific in a two half-day workshop that aims to take stock of challenges and approaches, and to exchange ideas on possible CBMs and their application through political and security institutions.

The workshop was held under Chatham house rule to allow for an informal and open debate. Workshop results are summarised in a final report. Several experts prepared working papers for the workshop which can be found below, as well as the workshop agenda and participants list.

Speakers

Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (GIGA), Erik Kurzweil (German FFO) and Sarah Sutter (ESIWA) provided opening remarks. Other speakers are listed in the agenda.

Discussants

Members and Fellows of Think tanks, research institutions and government experts from various countries of the region and Europe participated in in the discussion, chaired and moderated the various panels (see full participants list).

Collaborators

The workshop was undertaken in cooperation with ESIWA (Enhancing Security Cooperation in and with Asia), an EU Project implemented jointly by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Expertise France, and funded by the European Union with contributions from the German Federal Foreign Office and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. For further information about the project, click here.

Final Report

Final Papers

Paper Renato de Castro - Session 1 Paper Jai Galliott - Session 1 Paper Tetsuo Kotani - Session 1 Paper Petr Topychkanov - Session 1 Paper Jay Batongbacal - Session 2 Paper Katsuya Yamamoto - Session 2 Paper Aurelio Insisa - Session 3 Paper Collin Koh Swee Lean - Session 3

Agenda and Participants List

Agenda and participants List

Organiser

Wolfgang Rudischhauser

Former Diplomat in Residence and Fellow

Cooperation Partners

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit Expertise France German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

Address

GIGA Berlin Büro, Friedrichstraße 206, 10969 Berlin, and online

Language

English

By invitation

GIGA Talk | 01/12/2022

Towards Closer Cooperation with South Korea in the Indo-Pacific

The European Union and Germany are implementing strategies for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. How does South Korea fit into the picture? In this GIGA Talk, we will present and discuss findings from a collaborative, policy-oriented research project examining the potential scope for closer cooperation therewith. Video now online!

GIGA Focus Asia | 6/2023

The Indo-Pacific: Confidence-Building in Times of Growing Conflict Potential

Growing geopolitical rivalries, military modernisation, and related developments could lead to the escalation of simmering conflicts in the Indo-Pacific. Regional powers and actors should enhance existing Confidence-Building Measures to increase stability. Europe should assist them.

Wolfgang Rudischhauser

Former Diplomat in Residence and Fellow

Cooperation Event | 20/04/2023

Asia and the Indo-Pacific – The Theatre of Growing Conflicts in the 21st Century?

The workshop will bring together participants from GIGA, various other research institutions and think tanks as well as experts from the Federal Foreign Office and other ministries for an informal discussion under Chatham house rules.

GIGA Focus Asia | 4/2023

Rediscovering the Pacific: Possibilities of German Cooperation

The Pacific Islands region is increasingly on Germany’s foreign policy radar. This Focus examines the challenges faced by this world region, takes stock of extant ties with Germany, and discusses possible future key areas of cooperation here.