India's Foreign Policy in Indo-Pacific Region and Its Impact for Southeast Asia's Regional Interest

Abstract

This study focusing on international relations field, seeks to explore the rise of India as one of the major world powers that actively and subtlely distributes its geostrategic power and its influence on the regional interests of Southeast Asia. The form of implementation of India's national interests related to efforts to become a new rising global power country is to pay attention to the security sector which is more accommodating to peace and the economic sector which tends to be more cooperative. By using qualitative method in form of offensive realism theory in explaining India's strategy in realizing look east policy in an effort to achieve its national interests, as well as leading to an 'expansionist' in fighting for strategic resources, there are two basic strategies that can be implemented by a country, namely balancing and buck-passing.  Balancing is carried out by including in the form of supervision which will appear through internal balancing and external balancing. The form of implementation of internal balancing is done by strengthening the military and improving the economy. While external balancing is done by aggressiveness that is external in nature outside the national boundary, namely cooperation and forming the process of regional integration, buck-passing is the main alternative to balancing, the state avoids the occurrence of war by making other countries a shield. The form of implementation of India's balancing strategy is by means of aggressiveness, because great power is directly involved in threatening the opposing country which is an opposition state in the international political system. This Indian strategy makes Southeast Asian countries a potential region to become a strategic partner in the field of economy and defense, making ASEAN as a whole an effective buffer zone of various great power interests.