German Indo-Pacific Vision: Pakistan as a Strategic Hub

Abstract

The post-Cold War international system has entered a turbulent phase, with states confronting an increasing number of political, economic, and security pressures. Uncertainty has intensified since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, much like a storm brewing to cause international uncertainty. Here, Germany has sought to uphold the principles of multilateralism, a rule-based international order, and collaboration. The above principles have, in recent years, been integrated into mechanisms aimed at balancing policymaking based on the determination of interests with limited resources, to ensure efficiency in the face of increasing global pressures. Similarly, Pakistan has also responded to shifting geopolitical dynamics by formulating a national policy initiative, as evidenced by the development of a national policy framework in 2022. By adopting a qualitative approach, this paper critically analyses the guiding principles of Germany and the Republic of Pakistan and limits the field of actions in economic and trade-related areas, where the cooperation activities are mainly bound, as the major sources of cooperation. The results indicate that the coordinated efforts that can supersede sectoralism and the project-based approach can lead to the realisation of a comprehensive development due to the importance of the connection with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the emerging blue economy. The strengthening of the German-Pakistani collaboration in this regard would also stabilise their rather long-term collaboration and empower both sides to address future storms in the geopolitical context better armed, and help bring mutual prosperity and security.