Beyond hedging? The Philippines’ strategic security diversification
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.111Keywords:
hedging, small states, national strategy, diversification, competition, United States, China, PhilippinesAbstract
Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 141
Quadrimestral (Octobe-December 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.111
In Southeast Asia, small states continue to exhibit strategic hedging given the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China. The existing literature on hedging emphasises the rationality and agency of minor powers. This paper demonstrates that hedging is not simply about making a deliberate choice between two superpowers. Using the Philippines as a case study, it analyses the evolution of the strategic diversification of its security relations with middle powers such as Japan, Australia and other Asian partners since the arrival of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration in 2022. This strategy can help small states mitigate the risks while promoting a national strategy.
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