United States 'Pivot to Asia' launched by the Administration in Washington under then President Barack Obama in 2009 saw developing interests in the Indo Pacific. Seen as an attempt to balance and increasingly counter Chinese influence, the US Indo Pacific Strategy outlined by successive administrations broadly envisaged maritime presence in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific to ensure rule of law and freedom of the seas. On 30 May 2018, The United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) was also renamed the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) which included the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Russia and China continued to refer to the region as Asia Pacific.
India too focused on the proximate waters of the Indian Ocean exploiting geographical advantage of the peninsula straddling the northern zone. Spread over approximately 75 million square kilometers North and South of the Equator Indian Ocean emerged as a significant geostrategic mass of oceans in the 21st Century given the economic and trade flows across connecting developing and the developed world and energy surplus and deficient areas in Asia and beyond. Emerging powers in Asia – India and China developed particular interest in the Indian Ocean region given economic sustenance, thus gravitating of global powers to this part of the World is but natural. The security challenges were evident as the Indian Ocean is prone to non-traditional threats like piracy, smuggling, maritime terrorism, illegal fishing, and trafficking of humans and narcotics while traditional state on state conflict is latent.
India due to its prime geographic location assumes primacy which is evident from the Ocean also being named after the country, the only one to be so. As India sees rising preeminence in global affairs it is natural for New Delhi attempts to first gain influence in the periphery and beyond the Neighbourhood or South Asia, India is looking increasingly towards the Indian Ocean Region as a natural extension. At the heart of the geopolitical struggle in the Indian Ocean is the ability to sustain military presence near the key choke points connecting its trade routes. Such a presence gives countries the power to protect and disrupt significant maritime channels—known as Sea Lines of Communications (SLOC). Protection and SLOC interdiction in naval terms—during times of war can have significant consequences as the famed naval strategy AT Mahan said he who controls the seas controls the World.
Given vast expanse of any Ocean no single country can dominate the same thus interactive circles of cooperation require an outreach to nations and navies across the region. This is particularly relevant in the context of the Indian Ocean Region due to lack of a cooperative security architecture to keep a balance. India’s concept of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR) is the primary driver of developments in the maritime zone for the country. In the context of these intersecting elements of geopolitics, regional competition for influence and limitations of national power, how India has succeeded in dominance of the Indian Ocean and in the process contributed to global and regional security needs detailed examination being undertaken Order Detailed Paper of over 12,000 Words and 50 Notes as reference.
Comments