Posts

JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN ENGAGEMENTS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
Japan and South Korea are two nation-states that have increasingly been assuming a constructive role in East Africa. Japan has, particularly, assisted African nations through a variety of initiatives that have considerably raised the profile…

SEA WALL IN THE MALDIVES AND ITS SUSTAINABILITY
Abstract
Small Island Developing States are particularly vulnerable to the peril of climate change. Sea level rise, an increase in sea surface temperature, high incidences of drought and flood are some of the challenges faced by island states. …

RETURNING TO THE INDIAN OCEAN: MARITIME OPPORTUNITIES ARISING FROM TAIWAN’S NEW TIES WITH SOMALILAND
Since Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-Independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) acceded to the presidency in Taiwan in 2016, the country has been under severe diplomatic pressure from China that claims the island as a ‘renegade province’.…

GROWING SALIENCE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN COMMISSION:WHAT HAS CHANGED FOR INDIA AS AN OBSERVER
Introduction
The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) is a regional forum in the Southwest Indian Ocean, comprising five nations – Comoros, France (Reunion), Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. It is the only African organisation…

INDIA AS A CHALLENGE TO CHINA'S BRI
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013, comprising both the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt (launched in August 2013) and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (introduced…

POLITICAL CRISIS IN SRI LANKA: CHINA AND THE MARITIME DIMENSION
In late October 2018, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena set off a constitutional crisis by sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him by Sirisena’s predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa. i With Sirisena later dissolving…

SHOULD INDIA BAIL OUT A DEBT-RIDDEN MALDIVES?
Maldives has borrowed heavily from China in the last five years putting it at serious risk of debt distress. Now Male has sought support from India to tide over its financial problems. The Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid along with…

AN OPENING FOR INDIA IN THE MALDIVES
The results of the Maldivian elections, held on 23rd September, have surprised many, particularly in India. The authoritarian tendencies of President Yameen and news emanating from Male thus far had suggested that the Maldivian strongman may…

RELEVANCE OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS FOR INDIA: AN ASSESSMENT
Introduction
The epic sea battles between aircraft carriers never recurred after the Second World War. In the post-war period, most carriers began to retire without even having participated in battle. Many countries that possessed carriers…

THE FOCUS IS ON INDO-PACIFIC
In the taxonomy of ‘Geopolitics’ and ‘Geo-strategy’, the prefix ‘geo’ refers to a country’s strategic geography, which is the core underpinning of its national-strategy. Geopolitics involves the satiation of the country’s geo-economic…
Events

AERO INDIA 2021: Indian Ocean Region Seminar
THEME: BUILDING COLLECTIVE MARITIME COMPETENCE TOWARDS SECURITY AND GROWTH FOR ALL IN THE REGION (SAGAR)
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which is the western segment of the Indo-Pacific Region, is an important part of the world as a whole,…

Quadrilateral Diginar Series on Blue Economy-India’s Pathway to a Sustainable, Secure and Resilient Economy- 1st Diginar on “Holistic Maritime Security in The Indian Ocean Region: Pursuing A Sustainable and Secure Blue Economy”
The past decade or so has witnessed a distinct evolution in the way “Blue Economy” has been perceived and its linkages with “Holistic Maritime Security” are more evident and complex. For India there is an intrinsic link between the…