Dr Germana Nicklin1, Dr Bhagya Senaratne1
1Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 2New York University, Shanghai, China
Biography:
Dr Germana Nicklin is Associate Research Fellow at Massey University in New Zealand. From 2016-2022, she was Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at that institution. She has published on Indo-Pacific maritime security, Australian and New Zealand border practices, Antarctic borders, and policy performance. She holds a PhD in Public Policy, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies, and a Master of Public Policy with Distinction, all from Victoria University of Wellington. Prior to joining Massey University, Germana worked in the New Zealand and Australian public services for over 30 years.
Abstract:
Scholarship on the interplay between the concepts of proximity and distance in international relations has been largely northern hemisphere and continent centric. In the Indo-Pacific region, island states with large maritime zones are becoming more politically relevant as great powers vie for influence in oceanic regions. Two such island states are Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the former close to the region’s centres of power and the latter at its outer edges. This paper challenges and extends existing scholarship by examining surprising aspects of the relationship these islands have with their closest, much larger and more influential neighbours, India and Australia, respectively. It demonstrates that these surprises challenge assumptions about proximity and distance in inter-state relations. Through a new conceptual framework that maps the dynamic and interrelated nature of distance and proximity, this paper argues that this expanded understanding of proximity and distance is a tool to strengthen island states’ agency when interacting with global and regional powers.