This book presents narratives, perspectives and policies on the Arctic and brings to fore the strategies of five Asian countries - China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore who were granted the status of Permanent Observers in the Arctic Council in 2013. The book also captures Arctic countries' reactions to Asian approaches, and their expectations from these countries. The melting of the polar sea-ice induced by climate change has placed the Arctic region in the forefront of global scientific, economic, strategic and academic interest. The discourse involves a number of issues such as claims of the littoral countries to the continental shelves of the region, the management and exploitation of its living and non-living resources, the rights and interests of indigenous communities, and the prospects of new ice-free shipping routes. The contemporary discourse also suggests that the Arctic region presents challenges and offers opportunities for the international community. These issues have given rise to new geopolitical, geoeconomic, and geostrategic dynamics amongst the Arctic littorals, and led to the growing interest of non-Arctic states in the affairs of the Arctic. It is evident that the Asian countries have a variety of interests in the Arctic, and the grant of Permanent Observer status to these countries is an acknowledgement of their capabilities. These countries are keen to explore opportunities in the Arctic, and have begun to formulate appropriate long-term national strategies. The preliminary approach of the Asian Observer countries has rightly been to graduate from 'involvement' to 'engagement' in the Arctic, which seems to have generated significant interest amongst analysts. This book helps to understand the approaches of various Arctic and non-Arctic stakeholders, in light of the evolving dynamics in the region.

This book presents narratives, perspectives and policies on the Arctic and brings to fore the strategies of five Asian countries - China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore who were granted the status of Permanent Observers in the Arctic Council in 2013. The book also captures Arctic countries' reactions to Asian approaches, and their expectations from these countries. The melting of the polar sea-ice induced by climate change has placed the Arctic region in the forefront of global scientific, economic, strategic and academic interest. The discourse involves a number of issues such as claims of the littoral countries to the continental shelves of the region, the management and exploitation of its living and non-living resources, the rights and interests of indigenous communities, and the prospects of new ice-free shipping routes. The contemporary discourse also suggests that the Arctic region presents challenges and offers opportunities for the international community. These issues have given rise to new geopolitical, geoeconomic, and geostrategic dynamics amongst the Arctic littorals, and led to the growing interest of non-Arctic states in the affairs of the Arctic. It is evident that the Asian countries have a variety of interests in the Arctic, and the grant of Permanent Observer status to these countries is an acknowledgement of their capabilities. These countries are keen to explore opportunities in the Arctic, and have begun to formulate appropriate long-term national strategies. The preliminary approach of the Asian Observer countries has rightly been to graduate from 'involvement' to 'engagement' in the Arctic, which seems to have generated significant interest amongst analysts. This book helps to understand the approaches of various Arctic and non-Arctic stakeholders, in light of the evolving dynamics in the region.

The two-millennium contacts between India and Vietnam brought them closer to take a common stand on various issues of international significance and stood their diplomatic relations in good stead during the bipolar Cold War era and the contemporary phase of globalization. India's integration with the ASEAN process has made India and Vietnam to reinforce the contours of their strategic partnership which owes much to their common concerns and interests in the Asia-Pacific region rather than compulsions of time. The views expressed and the inferences drawn in this anthology are coherent and thought-provoking for the policy-makers and scholarly community concerned with the Indian-Vietnam burgeoning partnership in the context of prospects for the emerging New Asia and Asian Century. Being acquainted with the developments in the Southeast Asian and Pacific regions for over four decades. I am fully convinced that this compendium is timely as it is being published when India-Vietnam multifaceted relations are poised for a leapfrog.

BIMSTEC has evolved as an important multilateral institution around the geography of Bay of Bengal. Its significance has been spurred by regional governments who are proactively engaging to make BIMSTEC a vibrant institution. This book argues for promoting we-ness in the region and foster cooperation for regional integration.

This volume is a collection of short essays articles on the multidimensional aspects of the blue economy. It presents perspectives on the concept and the essential ingredients of the blue economy such as marine resources, maritime infrastructure and marine environment. International cooperative approaches to promote blue economy, the role of maritime governance and capacity building are discussed in the context of implementing the blue economy. The book also promotes the importance of sustainable utilization of the oceans which lies at the core of the blue economy.

The maritime domain is increasingly gaining salience and the emerging dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region are highly pronounced. These influence the international security architecture and impact on the regional stability affecting India's national interests. This book views the evolving strategic dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region from the prism of geopolitics, economics, diplomacy, environment and multilateralism and examines their possible implications for India.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) can be considered as the most significant strategic outreach by China. It stretches across the large oceanic geography comprising the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the North-Western Atlantic. The initiative, founded on historic recall, aims to build a flourishing multi-sectoral maritime economic network across the entire region with land corridors connecting to the terrestrial Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB). It is premised on monetary integration, infrastructure development, connectivity and, people-to-people contacts. It is also an accepted fact that such a vast enterprise would have politics and security as attendant factors. This book examines the broader strategic threads that are at play in this grand and ambitious trans-regional initiative unveiled by China.

The extended Indian Ocean space from the shores of Africa to Australasia, arguably, holds the potential to define the contours of the emerging global geo-strategic and economic architecture; it is rich in energy and other resources; includes flashpoints involving extra -regional power; is host to a few of the fastest growing economies and emerging power centres; and some of the crucial sea lanes pass through this space. At the same time, it is increasingly an area of rivalries, trans-national crime, non-traditional threats to security, tensions and disputes, highlighting the need for strategic and economic cooperation, particularly amongst the littoral and hinterland countries. The somewhat slow to take off Indian Ocean Rim Cooperation (IOR-ARC) initiative could become one small effort to initiate such cooperation.

Maritime power has been a key defining parameter of economic vitality and geostrategic power of nations. The first decade of the twenty-first century has witnessed the rise of China and India as confident economic powers pivoting on high growth rates, exponential expansion of science, technology and industrial growth. Sequel to their steadily growing economic clout has been the emphatic resurgence of their maritime power evident in maritime shipping, port development and the concomitant expansion of naval power. Dr. Vijay Sakhuja, a former Indian Navy officer, in this pioneering study has splendidly elucidated and examined the resurgence of Asian naval power and its political-diplomatic, economic-commercial, science-technological-industrial, grand-strategic and the operational-doctrinal dimensions. Using a neorealist framework, the author provides robust and insightful analysis of how China and India as great powers, using their maritime military capabilities, would evolve and act in global affairs.

Maritime power has been a key defining parameter of economic vitality and geostrategic power of nations. The first decade of the twenty-first century has witnessed the rise of China and India as confident economic powers pivoting on high growth rates, exponential expansion of science, technology and industrial growth. Sequel to their steadily growing economic clout has been the emphatic resurgence of their maritime power evident in maritime shipping, port development and the concomitant expansion of naval power. Dr Vijay Sakhuja, a former Indian Navy officer, in this pioneering study has splendidly elucidated and examined the resurgence of Asian naval power and its political-diplomatic, economic-commercial, science-technological-industrial, grand-strategic and the operational-doctrinal dimensions. Using a neorealist framework, the author provides robust and insightful analysis of how China and India as great powers, using their maritime military capabilities, would evolve and act in global affairs

The book aims to further the debate on the impacts of fisheries policies in the Indian Ocean Region in order to facilitate a new regional policy direction. A key argument of the volume is that ecologically sustainable and socially just development and management of Indian Ocean fisheries require a paradigm shift in the perceptions and policies of major stakeholders. A central policy challenge is to identify a collective regional interest for fisheries and accordingly the development of integrated management policies that link ecology and society and which incorporate individuals, communities, agencies, states and regimes into a holistic cooperative endeavour. Successful ocean governance therefore requires greater inter-state and inter-agency consultation and cooperation, an improvement in linking national initiatives to local action, increased participation of local government and local communities and the enhancement of local capability. In order to achieve this overall goal requires either the enhancement of existing regional institutions or the creation of a new regional body.