Australia’s Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific

This course introduces students to Australia's foreign and security policies and the key domestic and international debates that shape them. It focuses on Australia's interests in its primary area of geostrategic focus, the Indo-Pacific, which bridges the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Using theoretical approaches from both International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis, this course aims to equip students to critically analyse the challenges and opportunities open to Australia when pursuing its foreign and security interests in this region. Students will examine the concept of the Indo-Pacific, considering whether it describes a coherent strategic, economic and cultural region and questioning why Australia has chosen to focus its strategic policy on this region. They will then consider the interests of key regional powers, including the United States, China, Japan, India and Indonesia, as well as key regions, the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, and evaluate how these affect Australia’s interests. The non-traditional and transnational dimensions of security will also be examined, including terrorism, piracy, transnational crime, human security and environmental challenges. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to critically examine how Australian foreign and security policy is made and how Australia pursues its interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.