Beyond hedging? The Philippines’ strategic security diversification

Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals, 141
Publication date: 12/2025
Author:
Aries A. Arugay, Mico A. Galang and Matteo Piasentin
Download PDF
Back to Index: Asia in transition: beyond the hegemonic rivalry between the United States and China

Aries A. Arugay, catedrático, Departamento de Ciencia Política, Universidad de Filipinas (Diliman) e investigador sénior visitante, ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute, Singapur (aaarugay@up.edu.ph), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5839-9590

Mico A. Galang, miembro del Young Leaders Program, Pacific Forum (Hawaii, Estados Unidos) (galangmico@gmail.com), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3952-4293

Matteo Piasentini, profesor ayudante sénior e investigador predoctoral, Departamento de Ciencia Política, Universidad de Filipinas (Diliman), investigador no residente en Pacific Forum y coordinador de la Mesa de China y el Indopacífico, Geopolitica (think tank italiano), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5523-4578

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.

Keywords: hedging, small states, national strategy, diversification, competition, United States, China, Philippines

How to cite this article: Arugay, Aries A.; Galang, Mico A. y Piasentini, Matteo. «Diversificación estratégica de las alianzas de Filipinas en materia de seguridad: ¿más allá del hedging?». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 141 (diciembre de 2025), p. 111-138 DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.111

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

Reception date: 31.05.25  ; Acceptance date:  17.10.25

>> The full-text articles in this issue are currently available only in Spanish (English versions of some articles may be published at a later stage).