Non‐Traditional maritime security threats in the Indian Ocean Region: Policy alternatives

• Published date: 01 May 2022
• Author: RS Aswani
• Date: 01 May 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2456

ACADEMIC PAPER

Non-Traditional maritime security threats in the Indian Ocean

Region: Policy alternatives

RS Aswani

Department of Economics and International

Business, School of Business, University of

Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun,

India

Correspondence

RS Aswani, Department of Economics and

International Business, School of Business,

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies,

Dehradun 248007, India.

Email: aswani.rs@ddn.upes.ac.in

Indian Ocean Region is geo-strategically placed at the helm of global power politics

owing to its vital Sea Lines of Communications. For both littoral and foreign nations,

who seeks to use this region to maintain their strategic game, Indian Ocean acts as

strategic backwaters. However, in the process of geopolitical rivalry, certain crucial

maritime security concerns, beyond the traditional military threats, are overlooked.

Based on reports of climate change, this study examines certain concerns, which are

collectively termed as Non-Traditional maritime security threats. These threats, such

as rise in sea levels, ocean acidification and unregulated fishing are not merely envi-

ronmental threats, but are security threats as well. These threats are compounding at

a high rate and negligence of the same possibly will result in a catastrophe that may

not only affect the political economy of Indian Ocean littoral nations, but also of the

global economy. This is essentially because Indian Ocean caters as the trade arteries

of global trade, as more than 80% of global energy trade passing over the region. This

study further argues that the littoral nations of the region are pre-occupied in a geo-

political struggle for power, which limits the scope of any efficient region-wide,

climate-security cooperation. Finally, this study concludes that at the regional strate-

gic policy consultations, maritime security should be inclusive of these Non-

Traditional maritime concerns also, which could act as an impetus for betterment of

inter-regional relations.

1|INTRODUCTION

Oceans cover almost three quarters of the earth, and act as a peren-

nial source of life in the planet. Indian Ocean has a complex

geo-political background due to the vast diversity of the region in its

politics, ethnicity, religion, economy and geography (Rais, 1987).

Indian Ocean Region (henceforth will be referred to as IOR) is a signif-

icant geostrategic node for economic, environmental and human

resources (Kaplan, 2011). IOR comprises of more than 30 littoral

nations such as India, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia

and three major strategic choke points. The region is bounded by

Indian subcontinent in the North, African Coast in the West, the

Southeast Asian nations to the East, Australia to the South (Michel &

Sticklor, 2012). The two centuries old British colonial rule and the sub-

sequent vacuum created after the end of Cold War has brought about

great instability in the IOR (Khalid, 2015). The expansion of China into

the IOR, through its Maritime Silk Route and the subsequent

American Pivot to Asia has added to the tensions of the region

(Bateman, Gamage, & Chan, 2017). Maritime Silk Route is the geostra-

tegic maritime dimension of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that

aims to revive the relationship between China and rest of the world.

In response to this, USA has initiated an “open and free Indo-pacific”

with large-scale economic and military interventions in the region.

More than 80% of the global oil trade passes through the IOR and

hence, the safety of these sea lines are very substantial indications of

the strength of world political economy (DeSilva-Ranasinghe, 2011).

SLOCS are the Sea Lines of Communications that primarily links stra-

tegic points in the Indian Ocean theater, and signifies the fulcrum of

majority of global seaborne energy trade transit. Ensuring the security

of these SLOCS, from political and environmental threats is the big

indicator of maritime security and this has to be ensured by all

regional political entities in IOR.

Received: 20 July 2020 Revised: 16 August 2020 Accepted: 2 September 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2456

J Public Affairs. 2022;22:e2456. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 1of8

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2456