United States–China Strategic Competition and Global Security Realignments: Perspectives from Brazil, South Africa and the Indo-Pacific
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4408Abstract
The intensification of United States–China strategic rivalry emerged as one of the defining structural transformations of the contemporary international order, reshaping security architectures, alliance systems, and developmental trajectories across the globe. This study examined the nature, scope and implications of US–China strategic competition with reference to three strategically significant contexts: the Indo-Pacific regional security environment, Brazil's diplomatic positioning in the South Atlantic and Latin America, and South Africa's navigation of multipolar pressures in Africa. A qualitative documentary research design grounded in realist and neoclassical realist theoretical frameworks was employed, synthesizing peer-reviewed scholarship, policy analyses, and geopolitical assessments spanning 2020 to 2026. Findings revealed that the Indo-Pacific emerged as the primary theatre of contestation, characterized by militarization of maritime corridors, consolidation of minilateral security frameworks most notably the Quad and AUKUS and the entrenchment of competing technological ecosystems. Brazil and South Africa pursued sophisticated hedging strategies, leveraging BRICS+ and South–South cooperation to preserve diplomatic autonomy. Global governance institutions experience severe stress as both powers advanced incompatible visions of international order. The study concludes that the US–China rivalry compels regional actors to adopt non-binary foreign policy postures with significant implications for global security architecture, economic multilateralism and the prospects for a stable multipolar order.
Keywords: US–China Strategic Competition, Indo-Pacific Security, Brazil Foreign Policy, South Africa BRICS, Hedging Strategy, Minilateralism, Multipolar Order
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