Security and Maritime Issues in the Indian Ocean - Term Paper Example

Defence and Security Introduction The Indian Ocean possesses a vital sea line, which acts as a mode of communication connecting the West as well as the East line towards fostering trade link throughout the globe. Around eighty percent of the trade concerning ‘World’s Sea-Borne Oil’ undergoes all the way by the choke points of this ocean. In spite of its strategic positioning, the Indian Ocean has been much a neglected zone from the viewpoints of overall global security along with stability. Notably, there exist only seven check points in the Indian Ocean that might not be adequate for ensuring greater trade security. Being surrounded by 38 states which would make 40 percent of entire cost line, increasing importance of the Indian Ocean in mitigating the threat of security is noteworthy. The old traditional security procedure of the Indian Ocean could be threat-full and hazardous for trade-link. To come out from this critical situation, Indian maritime issues should be eradicated from traditional domain and efforts required to be made towards familiarising as well as recalibrating existing operational strategies related to global strategy and security forces (Kemp & Bhaskar, 2011). With this concern, the essay intends to discuss and analyse about how significant are maritime issues that persist within the Indian Ocean from the standpoint of overall global security along with stability. Maritime Issues in Indian Ocean In Terms Of Overall Global Security and Stability The significance of any specific region can be mainly determined based on the factor concerning strategic position that it holds and exercises various superior powers. The Indian Ocean is one of the reasons of supporting growth in Asian economies. Middle East regions would reflect the importance of maritime issues in the Indian Ocean in terms of global security as well as stability by amplifying the requirement of raw materials and energy. By considering the fact of increasing trade and energy flows, the Indian Ocean is becoming the new global centre. It is worth mentioning that in excess of 73 million square kilometres, this particular region is observed to examine broader maritime order along with geopolitical nature and power incorporated with balance in Asia (Parmar, 2013). The seven points that constitute the Indian Ocean can be better understood from the following depicted pictorial illustration: Source: (Michel & Sticklor, 2012) The above depicted seven points would mainly cover the main distribution networks as well as the globalised supply chain across Asia, varied regions across the Middle East as well as Africa (Michel & Sticklor, 2012). At the same time, incipiential problems extending from piracy along with teritorial disputes in the regional seas are observed to impose unfavorable impacts on maritime safety as well as stability around the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) (Sakhuja, 2014). Challenges Facing By Maritime Security In Indian Ocean There are several ocean-wide security issues of regional and global significance that urge the need for conducting regional enquiry andpolicy expansion. This is related specifically to the case of non-state extortions such as piracy along with terrorism and other ‘non-traditional’ or ‘traditional’ security related hazards that are associated with the use of the ocean in terms of maritime safety matters and environmental safety issues. The expansion of piracy, China’s entry and growing influence in the region require IOR to get intrinsically developed. Prior to discussing about the significance of maritime issues in the Indian Ocean in terms of overall worldwide global security as well as stability, it is essential to acquire a brief idea about the four essential features of the current security environment. One of such features is identified as that there lays no region-wide security commands for the Indian Ocean. The other feature denotes weakened sub-regional safety. Correspondingly, the other two features included western-oriented security measures and wider prominence on stronger consensual instead of polygonal and security relationships within the IOR (Mishra, 2014). The challenges in the IOR in terms of overall worldwide safety and stability can be ascertained from ‘traditional security’ to ‘non-traditional’ threats. Because of the significance to global trade along with energy flows along with the probable susceptibility of the checkpoints around the IOR, sea-lane security has become a crucial factor. In this regard, significant provincial as well as extra-provincial powers have desired to strengthen maritime security by building strategic partnerships (Chellaney, 2013). Potentially, the seabed of the Indian Ocean is full of minerals and for this reason, the nations including the US and Africa had the interests of promoting free trade and increasing energy flows. It is worth mentioning that China is intending to create effective active powers in the region and also challenging the present power balance, resulting in creating greater level of geopolitical contention (Rumley, 2013). The following graphical representation mainly portrays the existence of the American, Indian and Chinese specifically in the IOR: Source: (Parmar, 2013) From the above portrayed representation, it is evident that threat of piracy is common in enriched seabed like the Indian Ocean. Piracy is an adhesive force, which brought a renewed focus on this particular region. This threat not only imposes unfavourable effects on maritime trade, but also on maritime security also. Evidently, all oil along with gas trades surpass through this region to European markets. For certain regions including the European nations, the US, China and Russia, their involvement in counter piracy are witnessed to get inspired by political motioning and wider safety interests. Despite the presence of modern maritime assets and establishment of mechanism in the region, it would be certainly weird that certain poorly armed pirates are enough to crack the system of global oversees of commercial triangulation. The main reasons of this futility could be ascertained as conflicting premeditated outlooks, insufficient figure of assets, growing operational fields, restricted figure of operating groups with dissimilar mandates and shortage in command unity. The other threat persistent threat within the IOR is noted to be interstate contest over valuable resources, which could be mitigated by introducing conventional dictatorial commands and implementing globally agreed rules. EU is already playing a limited and political function in the IOR by supporting local assistance to reduce risks of independent actions and figure out long-term regional stability (Geraghty, 2012). Global Security and Stability While comprehending about the significance of maritime problems persisted in the Indian Ocean from the standpoint of overall worldwide security as well as stability, it could be ascertained that international terrorism is integrated within a dividing force in global domain. In earlier times, terrorism lay in democratic communities only, but now it placed its dominant position in international security matrix. To bane this curse, the IOR must pay global attention for ensuring future sustainability, which would require greater level of international cooperation. For ensuring greater maintenance of global security as well as stability, there should be effective control of energy resources and search for alternative routes regarding trans-shipment of oil along with gas. It should help to decrease the enhancing chances of competition and potential conflicts (Rumley, 2013). With the issue of security, the threat relating to stability could not also be ignored. It is to be affirmed in this similar concern that without maintaining stability, the trade link of the IOR could not sustain for long term. There are certain norms of stability that could be followed for addressing sustainability related complexities in terms of promoting collective security and following three particular principles. One of such principles includes determining the probable changes in international relationships along with agreeing to use military forces for amending status-quo as well as resolving any sort of dispute peacefully. The other principle mainly included broadening the conception of national interests to develop the responsibilities of international community. Apart from the aforesaid principles, the need of the states towards overcoming their fear as well as communicate is also regarded as the other chief principle to be followed. Specially mentioning, democratic peace is viewed to be another important issue for the IOR, as the relative states remain responsible for maintaining region’s democracy, which would in turn strengthens global security and stability in global trade link (Geraghty, 2012). Significance of Maritime Issues on Global Security and Stability Globalisation trends have been proved to be much beneficial for ensuring worldwide stability in terms of making greater sustainable development. It has been earlier discussed that the IOR is deemed to be one of the chief sea-bed areas for the US, Africa, China, Russia and the Middle East, which tends to develop trade links. The significance of maritime issues in the IOR in terms of overall global security as well as stability could be ascertained based on various significant aspects. These aspects included increased level of prevention as well as cooperation of different agencies, guidance of ships when under attack, providing point of contacts, establishing effective plans and procedures, encouraging ships to implement advices and investigating functionalities of armed robbery along with piracy. These constructive impacts of worldwide security should benefit the sustainability and stability of the IOR at large. More crucially, the prevalence of political influences in the IOR cannot be ignored in the domain of maintaining overall global security as well as stability. This can be justified with reference to the fact that in varied coastal regions, political issues may create certain chaotic situations that generate critical misunderstandings between coast guard and military base. As a result, security system may get breached, affecting the stability criterion at large. Thus, based on the above discussed issues, it must be mentioned that democratic peace is required to be formed, developed and maintained between all relative states for strengthening global stability (Geraghty, 2012). Relative states would communicate to each other positively for developing their respective trade links in an improved way. As an effect of globalisation, the IOR could get help from Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF), which not only acts as a fund, but also as an implementer to build collaboration between the states and the respective military power. It should create another effective picture towards the IOR, which would call as rebalance. Recently, ‘National Security Advisor’ announced about an agreement, which included the chance of joining as well as sharing security along with stability partnership for the related regions of the IOR. This condition eventually leads towards delivering positive value to the IOR along with its relative states and trade link. The growing interests of maritime security resources along with sea-lane safety criteria certainly made the maritime security more critical than ever. The challenges of today that mainly entail ‘Non-Traditional Threats’ including climate security, transactional terrorism, illicit fishing and human trafficking along with environmental degradation are observed to threaten overall global security along with stability at large. These challenges would rise as various critical stages that require addressing and mitigating by strengthening the traditional regional securities (Rumley, 2013). Conclusion Based on the above analysis and discussion, it can be ascertained that worldwide maritime safety is an indispensable constituent of ensuring maximum prosperity and stability as well. This must be applicable for any sea-bed zone and the high criticality comes to the Indian Ocean maritime security issue. Indian Ocean is such a vast region, which includes included seven checkpoints that are involved into trading. These seven checkpoints are responsible to develop trade links as well as security structure at large. It has been apparently observed that piracy as well as armed robbery and sea line terrorism have become natural problems for this seabed. In addition, the Indian Ocean seabed possesses a rich sea line with precious minerals, which reveals important route for sea trade link that connect India, China, the US, Africa and Russia in a single track. In relation to the above context, it will be vital to mention that Indian maritime security must select certain alternative ways, as stated earlier in the discussion part, for strengthening global security and developing stability norms. Global security is being implemented to rebalance Indian maritime security by focusing much upon on geopolitical rivalry issues, maintaining democratic peace between the related states of the IOR, rearranging the security norms of coastal guide incorporated with military base and other related critical factors. It is projected that the above identified maritime associated issues would aid in strengthening the overall defence as well as security of the stated nations in terms of various way. These ways may include increasing the level of collaboration amid various regions towards promoting defence as well as security based norms and taking effective decisions towards fulfilling desired objectives. Thus, it can be concluded that the above discussed maritime issues in the Indian Ocean have greater relevance and more importantly significance in terms of preserving as well as strengthening overall worldwide security as well as stability. References Chellaney, B., 2013. Bridge between Europe and Asia — Strategic Challenges in the Indian Ocean. Stagecraft and Stagecraft. [Online] Available at: http://chellaney.net/2013/11/29/bridge-between-europe-and-asia-strategic-challenges-in-the-indian-ocean/ [Accessed April 04, 2015]. Geraghty, C., 2012. India in the Indian Ocean Region Re-calibrating U.S. Expectations. American Security Project, pp.2-13. Kemp, G. & Bhaskar, U. C., 2011. Maritime Security Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region. National Maritime Foundation, pp. 2-12. Michel, D. & Sticklor, R., 2012. Indian Ocean Rising: Maritime Security and Policy Challenges. Stimson, pp. 9-112. Mishra, R., 2014. Evolving Dynamics of Indian Ocean. NMF Annual Maritime Power Conference 2014 Report, pp. 6-15. Parmar, S. S., 2013. Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean. Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 11-26. Rumley, D., 2013. The Indian Ocean Region: Security, Stability and Sustainability in the 21st Century. Australia India Institute Task Force on Indian Ocean Security, pp.16-68. Sakhuja, V., 2014. The Maritime Great Game. Ipcs Special Focus, pp. 3-15. Read More