Inter-regional Geopolitics Lab: How to Navigate a Three-Theatre Conflict World

As Pax Americana, the era of the U.S.-led international order, comes under growing strain, wars are raging in Europe and the Middle East, while tensions continue in East Asia. For middle and smaller powers, a pressing question is how to respond without being pulled into great-power rivalries.

At the FES Asia Interregional Lab, decision-makers and strategic advisers from more than 20 countries came together to examine this challenge: how can governments strengthen their security, regain agency and create more room to act in an increasingly contested world?

Facilitated by the Executive Education team of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the dialogue explored different strategic responses, including the idea of “Partnerships in the Middle”: closer cooperation among middle powers to strengthen their collective influence.

Building on the Lab, we asked experts how these geopolitical shifts are affecting their countries.

What are the strategic implications of conflicts across the three main geopolitical arenas (the “three theatres” in this discussion): Europe, the Middle East and East Asia? And can “Partnerships in the Middle” help them regain agency despite great-power coercion?

Watch the interviews for different perspectives on a shared challenge: how countries can preserve strategic choices in a more contested world.