The rise of the Indo-Pacific maritime geography has spawned spirited thematic debates among scholars on a range issues involving geopolitics and geoeconomics. There is, however, limited discussion focused on communities that have so far been at the margins of strategic thinking but could nonetheless grow in importance, as differences between the US, China, and strategic middle powers continue to harden. Tibet and Tibetans-in-exile constitute one such example. Representatives of the Tibetan diaspora have argued that Tibet needs to find a substantial space in the US Indo-Pacific strategy given its emphasis on the Rule of Law and its characterisation of China as a ‘revisionist power.’ Meanwhile, the presence of the Dalai Lama and an exiled Tibetan government in India places the latter in direct contention to China’s growing power, cementing its role as an important pillar in the reorganizing of Asia’s geopolitical theatre. This article, therefore, is an attempt to reflect on the impact of a large meta-geographical construction on a smaller strategic geography and its inhabitants. Using the example of Tibet, I argue that for the idea of the Indo-Pacific to endure, the underlying premise of an international ‘Rule of Law’ must develop adequate conceptual bearings that reflect new regional realities and can survive the uncertainties of an international system in transition.
