‘East of Suez’ and the ‘Indo-Pacific’ in British Politics: Some Lessons of History
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020231195629 |
| Author | Nick Pearce |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Scholarly Essays |
‘East of Suez’and the ‘Indo-
Pacific’in British Politics:
Some Lessons of History
Nick Pearce
Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK
Abstract
The idea of a transoceanic ‘Indo-Pacific’region has a long historical lineage in British
political thought and practice, one whose roots lie in processes of imperial colonisa-
tion, conquest and trade in Asia and Australasia. Recent discourses of a return ‘East of
Suez’and the UK’s‘Indo-Pacific Tilt’cannot be understood as mere imperial nostalgia
or post-imperial over-reach, however. Instead, there are historical political imaginaries
of Britain’s global role which are being put to work in the contemporary politics of
shaping an Indo-Pacific strategy for the UK. British policy in the Indo-Pacific has
been marked by a consistent awareness of multi-polarity and strategic vulnerability,
hierarchies of alliances that give a privileged place to the US and the countries of
the ‘Anglosphere’, and the recurrence of maritime, ‘blue water’conceptions of
British identity and interests. These are now being tested by the war in Ukraine
and other developments.
Keywords
Indo-Pacific, ‘East of Suez’, Anglosphere, AUKUS, British foreign policy
The idea of a trans-oceanic region called the “Indo-Pacific”has become a signature for
the geopolitical strategy of the US and that of its key partners and allies in Asia and the
Pacific. Its contemporary coinage is particularly associated with the late Japanese
prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who championed the concept of a “free and open
Corresponding author:
Nick Pearce, Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, 10 West Building, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
Email: n.pearce@bath.ac.uk
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2023, Vol. 78(3) 345–358
© The Author(s) 2023
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DOI: 10.1177/00207020231195629
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