Asian Maritime Strategies by Bernard Cole

Author:Bernard Cole [Cole, Bernard D.]
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612513133
Publisher: Naval Institute Press

MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS

Due in part to the dearth of capable navies in South Asia to secure the sea-lanes, that region’s nations are employing multilateral organizations in their security interests. These include the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and the Indian Ocean Zone of Peace Declaration (IOZP).

These organizations have accomplished little more than establishing themselves as discussion venues, but that in itself is a commendable achievement. The IOR-ARC was founded to increase economic intercourse among nations bordering on the Indian Ocean but has granted “dialogue partner” status to China and to the United States. The BIMSTEC has the same, although a geographically more limited, mission. Its members are Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Interestingly, Pakistan has joined neither group, perhaps because of New Delhi’s leading role in both.

The SAARC focuses on maritime issues. China, the European Union, Japan, Iran, Mauritius, the Republic of Korea, and the United States attend SAARC meetings as “observers.” The IOZP recommends that Indian Ocean states, UN Security Council permanent members, and “other major maritime users” work to establish “a system of universal security without military alliances.” Rather, it argues, international security should be enhanced through “regional and other cooperation; guarantee[d] free and unimpeded use of the India Ocean zone by vessels of all nations, and establishing the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace.”31

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