India’s Role in the Indian Ocean Region and Its Links to the Indo-Pacific
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/09735984231164457 |
| Author | Anirban Sen |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Jadavpur Journal of
International Relations
27(1) 105 –127, 2023
© 2023 Jadavpur University
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DOI: 10.1177/09735984231164457
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Article
India’s Role in the
Indian Ocean Region
and Its Links to
the Indo-Pacific
Anirban Sen1
Abstract
The main goal of this article will be to show how India’s role in the
Indian Ocean region has changed over time and how it is linked to
the wider Indo-Pacific region. In the beginning, the importance of the
Indian Ocean to India’s overall naval security on a historical basis is
pointed out. It is shown that Indian Ocean was the main conduit for
carrying out trade with the subcontinent and also for the creation of
the British Raj even though it did not receive the same attention from
the land-based Indian states. Following this, the article moves on to
how following its independence in 1947 India slowly started to realize
the importance of the Indian Ocean and later on the wider Indo-Pacific
to its national security. Step by step it is shown how India’s maritime
policy has evolved over the years. In this respect, the importance of
the decade of the 1990s is highlighted when India began to open up not
only economically but in all other ways as well. The role of the United
States in India’s naval expansion is also explained in detail during both
the Obama and the Trump administrations. Here specifically the article
focuses on the ‘pivot to Asia’ strategy of the Obama administration and
how it impacted India. After this it is described how President Trump
1Independent Researcher, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Corresponding author:
Anirban Sen, Independent Researcher, 539A Block N New Alipore, Kolkata, West
Bengal 700053, India.
E-mail: anirbandip@gmail.com
106 Jadavpur Journal of International Relations 27(1)
further pushed India to take a more active stance in the Indo-Pacific
region. Next, the Indo-Pacific policy of the present Modi government
is studied along with a detailed analysis of the ‘extended neighborhood’
concept in India’s Indo-Pacific policy. India’s relation with the island
nations of the Indo-Pacific is scrutinized in a separate section. India’s
role in the QUAD forum is also properly discussed. Finally, India’s
involvement in the three main multilateral initiatives in the Indo-Pacific
is laid out before coming to the concluding section.
Keywords
Indo-Pacific, Indian Ocean, Act East Policy, Extended Neighbourhood
Policy, Pivot to Asia, QUAD
The Indian Ocean in India’s Maritime Security
The Indian Ocean bordering the Indian peninsula has always been
important for the subcontinent’s maritime security. It is a resource rich
region which has made it attractive both to outside and regional countries
throughout history. The Indian Ocean has always acted as a conduit for
India’s wider engagement with the world especially through its links
with the Pacific Ocean. In today’s highly interconnected world, the two
oceanic regions have become more integrated than ever before. So, it is
no longer possible for India to avoid thinking about its Indian Ocean
security without considering the wider Indo-Pacific region.
Most major powers in the Indian subcontinent have been land-based
powers in its past. Maritime warfare received less importance than land
warfare except for the coastal states. Maritime threat was never
considered important for the subcontinent till the arrival of the Europeans
and the eventual domination by the British. The British succeeded in
their conquest of India largely due to their powerful navy. They
maintained the maritime security of their subsequent Indian Empire
through this powerful navy.
Following its independence from the British in 1947, India inherited
this navy. Yet it did not yet have a coherent foreign policy with respect to
its maritime interests in the Indian Ocean region. Under India’s first
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru a policy of non-alignment was
officially followed by the country. Following this policy, India maintained
a safe distance from the rivalry between the world’s two superpowers,
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