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MARITIME COOPERATION IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

Jane Chan

Research Fellow & Coordinator

Maritime Security Programme

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

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SCOPE OF PRESENTATION

o STRATEGIC OVERVIEW

o MARSEC CHALLENGES

o PROSPECT FOR COOOPERATION/

ENHANCE COOPERATION

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Strategic Overview

• Indo-pacific - a new geographical construct

• Focus of intensifying strategic and political attention

• Economic connectivity across the Indo-pacific region depends

largely on maritime links

• Reflecting the wider Asia’s maritime geography and the sea’s

enduring quality as a maneuver space

• Potential vulnerability leading the major maritime states to

extend their maritime strategic horizons

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Marsec Challenges

• Threats to maritime security are very evident in

the IOR

• risks of interstate conflict

• NTS / transboundary security concerns

• Lack of a common threat perception and more

importantly, differing priorities

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Prospect for Cooperation/ Enhance Cooperation

• Measures to deal with these threats offer a good vehicle for

engaging regional partners, so that not only will such

cooperation and collaboration help mitigate the impact, it will

engender trust and confidence.

• Ensuring Good Order at Sea

–Plenty of pragmatic proposals

–E.g. Information Sharing

• Existing Regional Institutions – e.g. IORA and IONS

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Major barrriers

• Political sensitivities

• Lack of common interests and priorities

• Lack of capacity and resources

East Asian Regionalism

Can similar arrangement work in IOR?

Potential for different configuration

E.g. IOR-Plus or IOR- Minus

 

Prospect for Cooperation/ Enhance Cooperation

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Thank You