The Asia-Pacific Perspective of Indian Scholars: The Significance of the Trans-Himalayan Region

Reimagining the Indo-Pacific, Breaking Geopolitical Constraints

In recent years, the term "Indo-Pacific" has become a buzzword in diplomatic, military, and strategic circles from Washington to Canberra, from New Delhi to Tokyo. The concept of the "confluence of two seas," proposed by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his 2007 speech to the Indian Parliament, gave rise to a new region: the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific is mainly portrayed as a maritime competition stage, showcasing naval power, strategic chokepoints, supply chains, and increasingly intense superpower competition - especially when great power rivalry is at the center.

However, despite this ambitious vision, it remains incomplete.

In recent years, the Quad mechanism, composed of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, has a "symbiotic relationship" with the geopolitical concept of the "Indo-Pacific." Its dialogue scope has gone beyond security discussions, covering other areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, and sustainable development. However, within the current Indo-Pacific discourse, the stance of maritime determinism and state-centricism remains one of the key strategies for countering China's expansion of hegemony in the region.

Continuing安倍's legacy, the current vision of the Indo-Pacific is largely a top-down, state-centered, and maritime- and military-focused conception. It is notable not only for its inclusiveness but also for its exclusivity: indigenous communities, inland societies, spiritual traditions, and the ecosystems that sustain the region.

One of the most notable silences in current Indo-Pacific discourse is the absence of the trans-Himalayan world - particularly the highland ecosystems and the ancient cultural corridors that once connected the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean.

This is not merely an academic omission, but a conceptual, strategic, and moral failure.

An Indo-Pacific Vision Centered on People and Bottom-Up

A more pragmatic and inclusive vision of the Indo-Pacific should recognize that Asia's connectivity has never been purely maritime, nor solely driven by states or empires. For centuries, Buddhist monks, merchants, pilgrims, and forest communities have traversed and shaped the Himalayan foothills and the Indian Ocean coastlines, from the Tibetan Plateau to Luang Prabang, from Bodh Gaya to Bali.

These traditions did not mobilize fleets or无敌 fleets. They mobilized ideas, ethics, art, and spiritual ecology - all essential for long-term peace and sustainable development, just as naval alliances or port infrastructure are.

The world today faces a climate crisis, and cooperation on water resources, glaciers, forest conservation, and indigenous knowledge is urgent.

People are increasingly tired of state-centric securitization and military competition in the Indo-Pacific. The stability and effectiveness of the Quad are being questioned. Civil society, environmental movements, and spiritual communities are seeking other visions.

The Importance of the Trans-Himalayan Region

Imagine this: the Tibetan Plateau, often called the "Third Pole," is the source of most major rivers in the Indian Ocean-Pacific region, including the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Salween, and Yangtze. Climate change, glacial melting, and water shortages in this region pose risks to human security that are far greater than many conventional military threats.

That is why we urgently need to fundamentally reshape the Indo-Pacific, challenge the singular and militarized narrative of regional order, offer a civilizational counterpoint based on real-life and ethical spirituality, and demonstrate that the Indo-Pacific is not a stage for competition, but a region of continuity, care, and coexistence. This people- and ecological-centered Indo-Pacific framework fills serious epistemological and moral gaps in current Indo-Pacific discourse.

Not a Competitor, But a Complement

There is no denying the importance of geopolitics. State competition, maritime strategy, and economic corridors are all important. But they must be grounded in the everyday lives of communities and complemented by peacebuilding traditions originating from within the region rather than imposed from outside. This solid, bottom-up vision does not oppose the Indo-Pacific strategy, but makes it more complete. It corrects the imbalance in current Indo-Pacific strategic thinking by re-centering people, ecology, and culture; it re-integrates the Himalayan hinterlands, which historically were connected to Southeast Asia through Buddhism, trade, and migration.

This envisioned approach may face resistance and skepticism from certain participants in traditional strategic circles. Security hawkish individuals, especially those from American institutions, might label it as "soft" or consider it secondary to "hard" security priorities (such as freedom of navigation, military alliances), or even ignore it entirely.

The Path Forward

A significant feature of the bottom-up Indo-Pacific vision is its non-confrontational perspective. Those in the field of non-traditional security research may find this re-conceptualization of the Indo-Pacific more aligned with their methodologies. Even within traditional security strategies, soft power, cultural exchanges, and spiritual diplomacy are crucial for long-term peace and cooperation, and cannot be ignored.

It is time to reconfigure the Indo-Pacific, from the perspective of the Himalayas, with a humanistic spirit at its core.

Source: Geopolitics

Author: Yashwant Singh

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

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Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841892436297995/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.