Global Security and the Rise of Minilaterals in the Asia-Pacific
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The formation of the AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States marks a pivotal development in contemporary global security architecture and exemplifies the growing significance of minilateralism—small-group strategic cooperation among like-minded states. Emerging amid intensifying U.S.–China rivalry and the erosion of confidence in traditional multilateral institutions, AUKUS represents a pragmatic response to shifting power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific. By integrating advanced defense technologies, including nuclear-powered submarines, cyber capabilities, and artificial intelligence, AUKUS underscores how minilateral frameworks can deliver agility and strategic depth unavailable through larger, consensus-driven organizations. However, this arrangement also raises concerns regarding nuclear non-proliferation norms, regional stability, and the marginalization of broader multilateral governance structures such as ASEAN and the United Nations. This paper ultimately argues that minilateralism signals both an innovation in collective security and a recalibration in cooperation in an era of strategic competition, technological transformation, and institutional uncertainty.
Light lunch served.
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