CHAPTER FOUR

POWER POLITICS:

IMPLICATIONS FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA

OR HOW GEOGRAPHY INFLUENCES

COMPETITION AMONG NATIONS

JAN KOFROĕ

1

Introduction

It is widely accepted that the geopolitical center of gravity has recently
shifted from Europe to (South) East Asia. This region has displayed
profound economic growth and it is a region with potential for power
competition among nations. It is possible to say that the region has two
potential sources of clashes. Firstly, there is potential for intra-regional
clashes among ever-strengthening and ambitious China and regional minor
powers. Secondly, there is potential for extra-regional competition
between China and the USA–the lone super-power of post-bipolar politics.
Logically, this region attracts the attention of those interested in current
geopolitics.
Various studies have emerged dealing with the prospect of regional
peace and of China’s ambitions and possible great-power competition
among the USA and China (see Beckley 2012, Mearhsiemer 2011,

(^1) RNDr. Jan KofroĖ, Ph.D. is a political geographer with a Ph.D. (2012) from the
Department of Social Geography and Regional Development at the Faculty of
Science at Charles University in Prague. His research spans three areas: (i)
geopolitical theories with a special interest in the intersection of neoclassical
geopolitics and neorealism; (ii) military and hard security issues with a focus on
conventional and semi-conventional land warfare; (iii) methodology with an
emphasis on qualitative methods. E-mail: [email protected]. Institution:
Institute of Political Science, Charles University in Prague.