Indo Pacific: The New Theatre
Deepak Kumar
TERI SAS (The Energy Resource Institute) and MRC Intern
Key Highlights
- A sizable percentage of global trade flows pass through the Indo-Pacific area.
- While the United States has mutual defence treaties with other Asian nations like Japan and South Korea, it does not have such an arrangement with Taiwan.
- The long-term impact of projects like the QUAD and AUKUS on the regional balance of power is unclear, but their role in resisting China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific area is likely to remain a prominent topic of dispute in regional geopolitics.
- India has been working on a “Necklace of Diamonds” to counter China’s “String of Pearls”.
- To better inform governmental and military decisions, UDA intends to give information on all movements and developments across the Indian Ocean.
The Viceroy of Portuguese possessions in India, Francisco de Almeida was the one who introduced the policy of “Blue water” during the 16th century. Instead of creating fortified trading posts along the coasts of Africa and India, as the Portuguese had done previously, the Blue Water policy emphasized establishing free trade routes. Almeida envisioned building a strong navy that would allow Portugal to dominate commerce and control the sea lanes in the Indian Ocean. This change of policy yielded dividends for the Portuguese as they were successful in consolidating Portuguese control over trade in the Indian Ocean (Albeit not for long). History is full of such examples that reflect that the maritime domain has always played a pivotal role in the emergence of new powers whether it be the Greek empire and their control over the Mediterranean which led to the establishment of colonies in Asia and Africa in the 5th and 6th century or the Spanish Armada which led to colonization of many countries the common thing in both the empires was their advancement in Navy which led. Hence it is safe to say that it is a time-tested prophecy that dominance in the maritime domain has a resounding effect on the regional dynamics and the international security architecture. Even currently, the rivalry among the world’s major powers is as fierce as ever.
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Deepak Kumar
TERI SAS (The Energy Resource Institute) and MRC Intern
Deepak, an ardent advocate for environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation, has been interning for MRC (Maritime Research Centre), Pune. Deepak’s academic journey led him to pursue post-graduation in the field of sustainable development from the prestigious TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) in New Delhi, India. His academic endeavours at TERI equipped him with a profound understanding of the intricate dynamics of sustainable practices, climate resilience, and environmental conservation. At MRC, through his work, he tends to highlight perils that often go unnoticed about the adverse impact of climate change on oceans.