Zeitenwende in the Indo-Pacific?
A Readout from the Munich Leaders Meeting in Tokyo in May 2023
Not only Germany and Europe, but also the Indo-Pacific region is in the midst of a Zeitenwende and must increasingly confront revisionist tendencies in its immediate neighborhood.
Building on the Munich Leaders Meeting in Bucharest, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) held its first meeting in Japan. Discussions focused primarily on deterrence and defense in the Indo-Pacific, lessons from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine for other regions in the world, and the strengths and weaknesses of the international order.
Content
From May 14-16, 2023, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) hosted a Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM) in Tokyo. Approximately 60 high-level decision-makers and experts gathered, including heads of state and government, ministers and parliamentarians from Germany and Europe, the United States, but also from countries of the Indo-Pacific region such as Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines or the Maldives.
The Munich Security Brief gives an overview of the most important topics and discussions of the MLM Tokyo. For example, it became clear that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific is interlinked. In addition, participants discussed how to strengthen the international order and how to deal with countries sometimes referred to as "fence-sitters" that do not want to take sides amid increasing systemic rivalry between the United States, Russia and China.
Whether discussions focused on nuclear policy, technology competition or hybrid warfare – the MLM in Tokyo brought up many topics that exemplify the extent to which the foundations of the international order are being challenged. The MSC will take these insights to other parts of the world for upcoming MLMs.
About Munich Security Briefs
With its Munich Security Briefs, the MSC aims at contributing to ongoing debates on a particular issue within the broad field of international security. A much more concise format than the Munich Security Report, the briefs are meant to provide an overview of an issue or a readout of a particular MSC event as well as a succinct analysis of its policy implications and strategic consequences. They generally express the opinion of their author(s) rather than any position of the Munich Security Conference.
