Indian Ocean and Maritime Security Competition, Cooperation and Threat

This book provides a synoptic view of the Indian Ocean and maritime security in its contested waters. Using a historical approach, it reveals vital links to events in the present day. The volume:

• Highlights the competition between major Asian powers to control the ?String of Pearls? ? a reference to the Chinese attempts at controlling the Indian Ocean periphery.
• Shows that cooperation amongst the major powers of the region could abate the threat of the potential of conflict becoming global and inviting external intervention.
• Discusses India?s Look-East policy and the deepening relation between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Argues for the need of Indian Ocean states and particularly the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to look afresh at their political and security issues and common interests.
• Suggests measures for evolving a robust mechanism of maintaining the Indian Ocean as a sustainable zone of commerce, energy, security and peace rather than threat.

A major contribution on a critical area in Asian geopolitics, this volume will be useful to scholars and researchers of international relations, politics, defence studies and maritime security studies, along with strategic affairs experts and think tanks.

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Notes on contributors

Introduction

PART I

The past, present and future of the Indian Ocean

1 Revisiting maritime security in the Indian Ocean: a note on current scenario

ARUNA KUMAR MALIK AND WILLIAM NUNES

2 China is pivot to the Indian Ocean Region: impacts and implications for India

K. ROBINSON

3 India’s role and responsibility as a major power in the Indian Ocean

PRIYAMBADA CHATURVEDI AND SUJOY ROUTH

4 India and China in the Indian Ocean Region: countervailing powers

ABHINAV GOYAL AND NIHARIKA

PART II

The Indian Ocean and India’s partners

5 Maritime security perspective of Sino–Indian relations in the Indian Ocean Region

SHREYA BANERJEE AND SHREYA CHATTERJEE

6 Maritime security concerns in the Indian Ocean: countering piracy trafficking and terrorism

HARSHVARDHAN SHARMA AND HIMANSHU SUBODH AWASTHI

7 Maritime security in the Indian Ocean: confronting non-traditional security threats with regional cooperation

NITIKA SRIVASTAVA

8 Indian Ocean: maritime security and the need of development

JAYANT GARG, HIMANSHU PANDEY AND BISHIKH MOHANTY

PART III

India’s influence and responsibilities in the Indian Ocean Region

9 Piracy off the coast of Somalia and maritime security

SHILPA NAIR

10 ‘Whale of the Ocean – India’

ANWESHA PATHAK AND ROHIT SHARMA

11 The China factor in Indo–Japan strategic relations

NISHTHA KAUSHIKI AND HILAL RAMZAN

12 Look-East policy: challenges and prospects for India and ASEAN security relations

D. RAMAKRISHNAN

Index

Bimal N. Patel is Director at Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, India.

Aruna Kumar Malik is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, India.

William Nunes is Associate Professor of Political Science at Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, India.