Courtesy: rajkumari1220/Flickr
India’s political and economic future will be determined over the next few weeks. Gateway House recommends a priority diplomacy agenda for the next government – one which puts economics at the heart of our foreign policy
Courtesy: Eugenio/Wikimedia Commons
A string of tragic accidents, an ageing fleet of sub-marines and a lack of vision are hampering the Indian Navy’s growth as a regional force. The new government will have to rethink the system of defence purchases and invest in indigenisation to optimise the strength of the Indian armed forces
Courtesy: Spike Call U.S Navy/Wikimedia Commons
The Indian Navy, through multi-lateral exercises, is increasing its sphere of influence and becoming a regional force. Yet, it needs to be supported by policy decisions that enable it to achieve its potential as a state-of-the-art establishment and a powerful tool in India’s diplomatic repertoire
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The India-Japan alliance needs to be viewed through a prism broader than that of "containing" China, and by treating the Indian and Pacific oceans as a single entity. Such an alliance has the potential to strengthen the geopolitical security of India and Japan, along with that of all their allies and associates
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
In the coming years, India’s greatest strategic challenge in the Indian Ocean region may not be the development of power projection but the quality of the strategic relationships that it can build in the region. The extents to which India will be recognised as a regional leader depend on these relationships.
Courtesy: Australian Government Department of Defence
Defence Minister A. K. Antony’s visit to Australia this week was a significant step forward in the defence relationship. In coming years an India-Australia partnership will be important for managing maritime security in the Indian Ocean and will also have implications for security in Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Courtesy: Jessica Taekman/Flickr
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Japan’s Shinzo Abe are giving heft to a renewed partnership and a focus on the Indo-Pacific. Both nations must collaborate and work with South Pacific countries, especially Tonga, to counter China’s growing influence in this increasingly geopolitically important region
Courtesy: U.S.Navy Imagery/Flickr
An understanding between China and India not to develop a permanent presence on each other’s maritime territories may be helpful in reducing tensions between the two navies. Given the broader context of Sino-Indian strategic rivalry, however, this seems unlikely.
Courtesy: Furmeyer/WikimediaCommons
Maritime piracy is one of the several grave security issues faced by today’s world. This problem, however, isn’t a new phenomenon, and nations have long-battled this issue. How did piracy manifest itself in the Indian Ocean in the 19th century, and what was the nature of counter-piracy efforts during that period?
Courtesy: mpeacey/Flickr
Traditionally, the South Pacific islands have been considered strategically insignificant. However, the need for resources, and the geopolitical shift towards Asia-Pacific have prompted nations to realize that these small island states control large resource-rich ocean areas and are increasingly geostrategic.