[Book Talk] The Indian Ocean as a New Political and Security Region

The new book from Frédéric Grare and Jean-Loup Samaan analyses the emergence of the Indian Ocean as a strategic space of central importance. For a long time, the Indian Ocean was a “neglected ocean”, almost marginal compared to the global centres in the East and West. However, by the end of the 2000s, China’s global growth triggered new interest in the region. Although this was primarily driven by considerations over great power competition, namely between the US, China, and India, the authors argue in their book that the Indian Ocean is not merely a battleground for this strategic triangle. It is also a vast space of competition among local players (from the Horn of Africa to the Persian Gulf, and South-east Asia) whose ambitions have increased dramatically in the last decade. This book talk will discuss the latest developments in the Indian Ocean: The evolving relations between India, China, and the US; the new role of middle powers, such as European countries or Gulf states; the need for greater regional governance, and the implications for South-east Asia.