The Indo-Pacific in the post-Trump era: Expectations and Challenges

The webinar aims to join the current discussion on the evolving dynamics among great and middle powers in the Indo-Pacific area since the accession of President Joe Biden and his new administration to the White House. President Biden’s new foreign policy team presented their approach to world affairs by declaring “America is back, ready to lead the world” in November 2020. As such, a departure from President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and a return to liberal internationalism are broadly expected. What does it mean for the U.S. international mission in the Indo-Pacific, and for the geopolitical balance between the increasingly assertive China and its close neighbourhood? In which direction and to what extent will the process of decoupling between the West and China continue, and how will these trends affect the Asian states? What’s Japan’s role in the post-Trump Indo-Pacific and what are the expectations regarding the US-Japan Alliance? What are the prospects and challenges for the US-Japan-EU cooperation and for the QUAD? What strategic plans are there for Australia and/or South Korea, and what are the expectations regarding the Asia-Pacific trade deals (the RCEP, the CPTPP)? This event brings together the perspectives of experts from the USA, the Czech Republic, France, Japan and Australia.