Partnering Together for a Secure Maritime Future

Contents: Introduction. Section I: Importance of Oceans and Navies in the Global Geostrategic Matrix. 1. No way but the ‘Hi’ way/Anup Singh. 2. Importance of ocean and navies in the global geostrategic matrix/Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. 3. South China sea disputes: perceptions and misperceptions among the players/Ye Hailin. 4. Maritime security and navies: future challenges in the Indian ocean/Antoine Beaussant. 5. Towards a new maritime strategy for medium powers: defining the challenges for the medium power navy/James Goldrick. 6. Maritime cooperation and building bridges between maritime neighbours and partners/Renfrew Christie. Section II: Regional Perceptions and Approaches for Maritime Cooperative Engagements. 7. Japan’s security role in the Indo-Pacific region/Eiichi Katahara. 8. Globalisation, International liberalism and the maritime cooperation nexus/K. Raja Menon. 9. Cooperative maritime engagement in the Indo-Pacific region/Geoffrey Till. 10. The Indonesian approach and perspective on Asia’s regional maritime cooperative engagements/Amarulla Octavian. 11. Building partnerships in the Bay of Bengal: opportunities and challenges/Ataur Rahman. 12. A tour de horizon/Satish Soni.

The 21st Century world order can be categorised as one of strategic flux and uncertainty with strong globalisation impulses and a seamless informational domain. One also witnesses the extant and rising powers announcing grand strategic outreaches, that either aim to retain their relative influence or seek more manoeuvring space in line with the expanding geography of their global linkages. Within this milieu, the ‘maritime domain’ is finding increasing references in respective national calculus and strategic postures that carry a strong oceanic flavour. While the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ facets of maritime forces naturally coexist, it is the ‘low politics’ associated with the seas that is finding greater space in contemporary narrative. This book, a compilation of papers and presentations made during the two-day conference at the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016 hosted by the Indian Navy, examines the diverse perspectives on the larger theme of enhanced cooperative endeavours at sea.