The Regional Great Game in the Indian Ocean and India’s Evolving Maritime Strategy

This book delves into the classic case of an emerging great power rivalry in the heart of Asia reminiscent of the original Great Game except this one is taking place in perhaps India’s most consequential water body; the Indian Ocean Region. The book’s focus is to locate India’s maritime positioning amidst rapidly changing roles of China and the United States in the Indian Ocean. The discussions in the book have managed to generate a wide spectrum of thoughts incorporating aspects of both theory and practice. This volume tries to find the right balance in collating maritime perspectives from practitioners and academicians alike. One of the main purposes of this volume is to bridge the gap in discourse that exists between the Indian Ocean literature that exists in India and the emerging literature and discourse vis-à-vis the Indo-Pacific. As such this volume underscores the importance of the seamlessness of the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific that Indian policy makers should keep in mind while framing policies for this region. This volume is also a reminder why India needs to rapidly shift gears in developing its maritime capabilities and that the emergence of the Indo-Pacific might be the opportune moment for India to make up for the historical lack of strategic thinking in the maritime domain.