Unconventional Indo-Pacific Actors: Emerging Patterns of Regional Engagement

The Indo-Pacific is swiftly becoming the world's geopolitical and geoeconomic epicentre. While the scholarly literature has focused on the regional interactions of traditional and emerging powers, very little attention has been devoted to "Unconventional Indo-Pacific Actors," whether institutionally atypical, geographically peripheral, or functionally distinct. To address this noticeable gap in the scholarship, this article introduces the first Forum on this topic. It first contextualises the Indo-Pacific's significance, prior to outlining the Forum's notion of unconventionality and its theoretical and analytical frameworks. The latter comprises: (i) trade; (ii) political-normative interests; (iii) security interests; (iv) external pressures; and (v) regional posture and trends. Next, it presents its case studies: Ethiopia, NATO, South Africa, and Turkey. Lastly, it highlights the goals, means, and limitations in their Indo-Pacific engagement. Consequently, both this article and the Forum contribute to the IR literature by casting light on this topical and underexplored development.