Regional Stabilisers: Questioning Middle Power Diplomacy and Collaboration in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

This dissertation sets out to examine the claims of policymakers and scholars that middle powers act as system-stabilisers during times of hegemony or not. By investigating the role perception and policy responses of three pivotal middle powers - Australia, Indonesia, and South Korea - to the changing regional dynamics in the Asia-Pacific between 2009 and 2020, the research tests the extent to which middle power diplomacy and collectivism can mitigate the destabilising impact of US-China power transition. The original contribution to knowledge in this research is that middle powers are more likely to resort to pragmatism over principle in role conception under the pressures of great power competition. However, middle powers can become significant regional stabilisers by asserting a degree of autonomy in relations with great powers, defending the rule of law in maritime Asia and deepen collaboration between them to consolidate the regional architecture.

This dissertation also develops a three-level role-based approach to understand the impact of middle powers during power transition, which helps to add theoretical rigour to middle power theory. The findings from this research will provide new insights about how middle powers navigate the uncertainties in the Asia-Pacific, as well as their pattern of behaviours. Moreover, an empirically-based understanding of the effectiveness of middle power diplomacy and the factors that are shaping it will have practical implications for policymaking.