Indian Ocean Security and US Strategy

 The East-West Center published on 18 October 2024 a bulletin titled "Connecting West and East: Indian Ocean Security and the US Indo-Pacific Strategy" by Nilanthi Samaranayake.  

Washington appears to be increasingly recognizing the importance of the western Indian Ocean, suggesting that it may be starting to conceive of the Indian Ocean as a region on its own terms.  

Maritime Domain Awareness in the Western Indian Ocean

The Institute for Security Studies published on 4 July 2017 a policy brief titled "Effective Maritime Domain Awareness in the Western Indian Ocean" by Christian Bueger, Cardiff University.

The policy brief reviews current activities to identify opportunities through low-tech solutions, human resources and collaboration for improvement of maritime domain awareness in the Western Indian Ocean. Despite the efforts of regional projects, such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the Programme to Promote Regional Maritime Security, the region remains dependent on international navies for reliable maritime domain awareness.

The BRICS: the Northern and Southern Connections

The Diplomatist published in August 2015 an analysis titled "Ufa and BRICS-SCO Connection Eurasia-Indian Ocean Nexus" by Francis Kornegay, Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa.  He notes the differences between the northern and southern members of the BRICS and suggests that India may be the linchpin between the two groups.

China's Maritime Silk Road and South Africa

The South African Institute of International Affairs published on 28 July 2015 an analysis titled "What Impact Could the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Have on South Africa?"  It argues that South Africa needs to make a conscious effort to evaluate the implications of China's Maritime Silk Road for its own ambitious maritime strategy.