Inadvertent Cooperation in a G-minus World

“Inadvertent Cooperation in a G-minus World” (Nov 2025)

Abstract: “What is optimal economic statecraft for Third Nations, i.e., those not frontline in geopolitical rivalry? Many in Southeast Asia and elsewhere see need for such strategies, not least to keep from becoming collateral damage in someone else’s conflict. Depending on how much of world order is exogenously given and how much can be elastically shaped by small-state agency, Third Nations can choose to align, acquiesce, or mitigate. This paper describes circumstances where each of these alternatively might be the preferred strategy. Mitigation is historically least considered of the three. Thus, this paper further develops policies of pathfinder multilateralism, in particular inadvertent cooperation, appropriate for mitigation. World order in this case is neither G2 nor G-zero, but G-minus.”

Recommended citation: Quah, Danny. 2025. "Inadvertent Cooperation in a G-minus World" LKYSPP Working Paper (Nov)
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