ASIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE

APLN member Huong Le Thu points out that middle powers in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Singapore, Australia, and Vietnam, are increasingly asserting themselves in international affairs, leveraging their unique positions to navigate great power rivalries while pursuing their national interests.

Active middle powers are dissimilar in many respects, have distinct national interests, and even sometimes bet on different strategic choices, but in Asia in particular, the ones identified above share a common desire – to live and prosper in a peaceful, stable and less risky environment.

Asia’s middle powers are not selfless. Neither do they aspire to big leadership roles. Determined to protect their sovereignty while balancing their relations between great powers, they take on the causes that are in their interests.

But, in doing so, as they invest in their own capacity to live in an increasingly contested world and manoeuvre growing geopolitical tensions, they can contribute to greater peace and stability in the region.

Their efforts would be even better served by closer cooperation and coordination among them, in order to collectively act as a stabilising force for a more predictable shared environment. In the current turbulent geopolitical arena, with conflicts and crises on the rise globally, their growing footprint in international affairs is essential in preserving regional stability.

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