APAC Advisors Geopolitical Roundtable Series: Derek Grossman

Deprioritization of Indian Ocean; All-In at First Island Chain

That's Derek Grossman described the US' foreign policy from a South Asia perspective following his four-nation tour of the Indian Ocean Region at the latest in the APAC Advisors (Singapore) geopolitical series. Start with the premise that the "Indo-Pacific" was never more than an organizing concept for the US to counter China that held from Obama through Trump 1.0 through Biden. The US’ new mechanism is to push allies to spend more on defense while prioritizing the First Island Chain. As we witness across the region, this leads to an increasing shift to multi-alignment. These evolving geopolitical frameworks will have impacts on business and investors -- for which it is too soon to forecast, but for which we must prepare.