Geopolitics in the twenty-first century are not defined by great power politics. While there is no clear consensus on the exact distinction between great powers and middle powers today, it is increasingly obvious that aspirational powers such as Korea and India play a significant role as regional leaders, conflict managers, coalition builders, and committed multilateralists in an era of global connectivity.
On February 22, 2017, the India Initiative and the Asian Studies Program hosted a delegation of visiting researchers from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea for a workshop on middle power politics. The workshop began with a public discussion between Ambassador Richard Verma, outgoing U.S. ambassador to India; Victor Cha, director of Georgetown’s Asian Studies Program; and Dr. Jangho Kim, professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. They discussed the role that middle powers such as Korea and India play on the world stage and grappled with questions that these countries face in an increasingly connected world.
This event was co-sponsored by the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Global Research Network Program by National Research Foundation of South Korea, the Georgetown University Asian Studies Program, and the Georgetown University India Initiative.
Richard Verma is an American diplomat and the former United States ambassador to India from 2015 to 2017.
Victor Cha is the D.S. Song-KF Chair in Government and International Affairs and is the director of the Asian Studies Program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Jangho Kim is a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.