The Indian Ocean Region encompasses a vast area that is 5.5 times larger than the total area of the USA. Whenever we talk about the importance of the Indian Ocean Region, ample challenges come across because of its wide range of aspects from innumerable perspectives that can be taken into consideration. We know that the Indian Ocean is the third largest Ocean in the world after the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.
The Indian Ocean covers the vast area of 68556 square kilometers which can be taken into account as an approximate calculation. It will even be tough to divide the Indian Ocean Region into so many considerable sub-regions but there are some salient key issue areas which will certainly give us a precise idea about how the Indian Ocean Region has been playing a vital role in international relations.
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is enriched with the abundance of petroleum and all other resources which have validated the significance of this vast region to the ultimate level. The stream of its petroleum exports tothe global markets is one main trend defining the IOR’s global significance which has got a direct link to the economy.
The flow is strongly dependent on the stability and defence of the Gulf states, and the maritime chokepoints of the Indian Ocean Region. However, it also depends on how the USA, China, and also the other Asian countries that are not under the demarcation of this IOR, respond to a fundamental change in the flow of energy exchange to Asia. The global economy and the economies of all petroleum purchasing states rely to a certain degree on how the price and amount of energy exports on the world market are impacted by Gulf oil and gas exports through the IOR. However, this reliance on Gulf petroleum is subjective. As the rise in Asian energy demand for IOR exports increases compared to demand in other areas, the primary changes taking place in the supply of Gulf oil and the important changes occurring in IOR maritime traffic are calculated.
It is observable that the IOR does have an immense importance. The salience of this overly significant region will keep increasing day by day which should be taken into consideration
Specifically, the flow of Gulf energy supplies is the most significant and fundamental effect of the IOR on the global economy that should be taken into consideration to ensure the stability of the world economy. The abundance of resources and the way China has been investing in the African territory are also a matter of discussion that signifies the importance of the IOR from the economic standpoint.
The IOR has got some serious significance in terms of the political standpoint, which is a salient issue that clarifies the importance of this entire region. There is an obvious conception in world politics that the IOR will be the future which will control global political issues in the upcoming years to come. We can see how Australia has been trying to get involved with the IOR by increasing its all-out military and other activities, specifically with India.
The overly emergent power of the IOR has been highlighted in the global political arena for a pretty long time. The politics of some important South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are among the deciding factors to define the political standpoint of the IOR. The internal politics of these states are entirely connected to the dynamic politics of the IOR.
The countries which are under the range of IOR are the home of nearly 2.5 billion people that comprises over a third of the world’s population and this demographic data also clarifies the importance of the IOR in world politics. This entire region has already become a pivotal zone from the political perspective as China, which is the upcoming hegemon that will be dictating the upcoming International Order, has been investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the infrastructural projects as a part of its One Belt One Road initiative.
This One Belt One Road initiative is a strategic tool projected by China to counter the Indo-Pacific Strategy imposed by its traditional rival, the USA. China will always try to make sure that it gets free and safe access to the Indian Ocean because this is its biggest as well as ancient trade route which is termed the Silk Road.
In view of the transformed geostrategic importance of the region, the Indian Ocean has emerged as a vital maritime space on the Asia-Pacific coastline. The Indo-Asia-Pacific region is the largest maritime-coastal area with the highest concentration of population, capital, emerging economies, clogged sea lanes, and disputed territorial areas.
The geostrategic significance of the Indian Ocean Region is so high that the British authority had exercised their predominant military power in the Indian Ocean for almost 200 years by setting up their naval bases at salient choke points and critical sea lanes were also being covered by them. Even in today’s world, we can observe that the established hegemon, the USA, has been trying to dominate the entire IOR by establishing strong naval fleets in several geostrategically significant points.
The USA could not contain the rise of China and halt its access into the vast geostrategically salient waterbody of the Indian Ocean. The dominant economic superpower, China, has already set up a military base in the African region and has taken the lease of Hambantota Sea Port for 100 years which has got some geostrategic salience as well. China has got connected with the Gwadar port of Afghanistan by their One Belt One Road initiative.
If the USA creates the Malacca dilemma and tries to contain China from getting the free access to the Indian Ocean, China will still be able to manage its own way by using the route of Myanmar and ensure its access into the Indian Ocean, as we know that China and Myanmar do have a special bilateral friendship which is known as the ‘Pauk-Phaw’ Friendship and both of them are making the best use of it.
It is observable that the IOR does have an immense importance and it can be clarified by the economic, political and geostrategic standpoints. The salience of this overly significant region will keep increasing day by day which should be taken into consideration.
