Oceanic Strategy

Late Dr Vidhan Pathak was an Associate Professor in the Department of African Studies, University of Delhi, India. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at the Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai, an Assistant Professor at Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi, and a Fellow at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was the Managing Editor of the Indian Journal of African Studies (the journal of the Department of African Studies, University of Delhi), the former editor of African Currents (journal of the Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai) and the former Assistant Editor of Diaspora Studies. He has published extensively on topics/subjects like India’s Africa Policy, Indo-African Relations, Western Indian Ocean Region, Indian Diaspora in Africa and other issues related to African affairs. Apart from African politics and Indo-African relations, his research interests cover the diaspora. His recent publications include a co-edited book titled Imagining India as a Global Power: Prospects and Challenges.Dr. Raghvendra Kumar is an independent researcher and analyst specializing in Indian Ocean geopolitics, maritime security, and non-traditional security challenges. He holds a PhD from the University of Delhi, with his thesis titled “China’s Engagement with the Island States of Africa in the Western Indian Ocean Region: Implications for India.” He also holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and an M.Phil. from the Department of African Studies, University of Delhi. He previously served as an Associate Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) in New Delhi, where he was instrumental in establishing the Africa’s Maritime Geostrategies (AMG) Cluster. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to policy research focused on the East African littorals and the island states of Africa. Prior to his work at NMF, he taught Political Science at Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi. His research centers on African affairs, the geopolitical dynamics between India and China in the Indian Ocean, and maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean Region. He has authored several book chapters, journal articles, and review essays on these subjects and served as an editor for “Maritime Perspectives 2022: Non-Traditional Dimensions of Maritime Security,” published by NMF. He has also presented papers at prominent international forums, including the NESA Indian Ocean Island Forum in Bangkok (June 2022) and a workshop jointly organized by UNODC-GMCP, ISS-South Africa, and Stellenbosch University in Cape Town (July 2022).

‘Indian Ocean has always been central to India’s maritime imagination. At a time when the centre of gravity of global politics and economics has shifted to the Indo-Pacific, it is even more important to assess the emerging strategic power play in the Indian Ocean. In this book, the authors navigate this vast terrain and highlight how a more confident India is reconfiguring its Indian Ocean strategy at a time when sea power’s criticality to global order could not have been more pronounced. While the fault line with China is quite evident, India’s largely benign presence makes it a natural partner of most nations with the stakes in the Indian Ocean.’—Harsh V Pant, Professor at King’s College London and Director of Research at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi‘The shift in the global geopolitical and geoeconomic centre of gravity to the Indo-Pacific has led most leading powers to reorient their strategic approaches to this region. India, as a leading Indo-Pacific power, also has to develop its strategy to shape the geostrategic outcomes in the region. The authors of this book, the late Dr Vidhan Pathak and Raghvendra Kumar, both of whom have a deep understanding of the subject, have presented a very detailed and well-researched analysis of the external and internal dynamics that will shape the future of this region and how India with its deep historical, cultural and civilizational roots will be able to leverage these to shape its own approach. This book is a valuable addition to the existing material on the Indo-Pacific, and its insightful perspective will offer incisive inputs to the scholar, the policy maker and the practitioner.’—Commodore Anil Jai Singh, IN (Retd.) Vice President, Indian Maritime Foundation

• Foreword x Preface xii Acknowledgements xv Abbreviations xvi 1 Introduction 1 2 India in the Indian Ocean: Interests and Strategy 36 3 China and Other Asian Powers in the Indian Ocean 81 4 US, Russia and Other Western Powers in the Indian Ocean 121 5 African Actors in the Indian Ocean 180 6 Conclusion 219 Index 227