Great Power Competition and Collaboration: Navigating Indian Ocean Region

The paper titled ‘Great Power Competition and Collaboration: Navigating Indian Ocean Region’, written by Chairman IPS Khalid Rahman has been published in the Chinese Journal ‘Indian Ocean Economic and Political Review’ vol. 60. No. 1, 2024. A preliminary draft of the paper was presented at the 8th RIIO International Conference held in Kunming, China on August 18-19, 2023. It is accessible in the Chinese language at cnki.net. The abstract and the English and Chinese versions are being presented here for a wider readership and understanding.

Abstract

The inherent competitive drive, which humans are bestowed with by nature, while becoming the precursor of evolution and development of this world, has also caused misery and destruction when it went unrefined. This paper gives a brief overview of the power struggle between major powers during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, which necessitated the establishment and continuation of the United Nations to prevent conflicts from turning into wars. It discusses the current and emerging scenario, the transition from unipolar to multipolar world order, where China, through its flagship BRI and other development initiatives, is playing a leading role in “building a community of shared future”, challenging US imperialist policies and exceptionalism. It navigates through the great power competition in the Indian Ocean Region, where the US, India, and China vie for “strategic advantage”, which poses a risk to common maritime resources of the Indian Ocean. While these evolving regional dynamics bring a new set of challenges, they also present some opportunities. To tap these potentials and achieve sustainable “shared growth” and equitable share and management of maritime resources, collective efforts are needed to strengthen global governance.

Keywords: Indian Ocean; SLOCS; China; Belt and Road Initiative; US-India Partnership; Global Governance.