Pax Britannica, Pax Americana, and the Indo-Pacific: Structural Change and the Constraints on Pax Sinica

Author(s)	SHEFALI PATNAIK, SIBARAM BADATYA
Country	India
Abstract	This article focuses at the changing dynamics of global order from the perspectives of Pax Britannica and Pax Americana, and the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific in the present times. Based on the hegemonic stability theory and power transition debates, it suggests that the Indo-Pacific is now the primary region of geopolitical and economic engagement, but this does not mean it is a seamless move to a Chinese Pax Sinica. Rather, the article shows how in global order, there is a diffusion of power, a deepening of contestation in the regions and a weakening of the conditions of singular hegemonic power. China has been building its influence in the region in economic, military and diplomatic ways, but a stable Pax Sinica is still far from settling in, due to continued strategic rivalry from the United States, middle power balancing and the continued presence of institutional and normative constraints. The article concludes that the Indo-Pacific represents a shift from the hegemonic peace to a contested and multipolar paradigm and that it has significant implications for the twenty-first century understanding of “Pax”.
Keywords	Pax Britannica, Pax Americana, Pax Sinica, Indo-Pacific, Global Order, Hegemony, Power Transition, Multipolarity, Strategic Contestation
Field	Sociology > Politics
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-18
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.81861

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