Lawfare in Indo-Pacific, Volume 1

Volume I of this two-volume set edited book offers a timely and multidisciplinary examination of how law is employed not only as a framework for governance but also as a strategic tool in geopolitical competition, security policy, and statecraft.

Bringing together perspectives from international law, security studies, strategic affairs, and regional politics, this volume explores the conceptual foundations of lawfare, its evolution from Cold War practices, and its growing significance within the Indo-Pacific's rapidly changing strategic environment. The chapters analyze the role of culture and soft power in legal influence, the use of lawfare as a form of irregular and hybrid warfare, and the ways legal mechanisms contribute to deterrence and strategic competition. A major focus of the volume is the contestation of norms and legal narratives in the region, particularly through the examination of Chinese legal strategies, maritime claims, jurisdictional practices, and gray-zone activities. It also assesses regional responses, highlighting the roles of India, maritime security stakeholders, and Oceania in shaping a rules-based order amid evolving geopolitical challenges.

Addressing the critical question of why legal warfare matters beyond the Indo-Pacific, this edited volume demonstrates how developments in the region influence global security architectures, international law, and policy decisions worldwide. It is an essential resource for scholars, policymakers, military professionals, and practitioners seeking to understand one of the most consequential dimensions of twenty-first-century strategic competition. Volume II of the set offers in-depth regional case studies and forward-looking analyses that reveal how lawfare operates across emerging domains, contested geopolitical spaces, and evolving international norms, with implications reaching far beyond the Indo-Pacific.