Regional cooperation has found a new shape in the 21st Century. In the present race for globalisation, liberalisation, economic development, regional cooperation is unavoidable. The political and military regionalism of 19th and 20th century h?s been replaced by economic regionalism and cooperation. Regionalism has passed through a number of phases. The Indian Ocean traversed a bewildering journey from one of neglect to that of repositor of hope in future. From a neglected ocean , through a British lake to an Ocean of the 21st Century is, indeed, a journey suggestive of changing importance and ever growing prominence of the Indian Ocean. In cognisance of this growing importance Alfred Mahan said, who ever control the Indian Ocean, dominates Asia. That this Ocean is the key to the seven seas. In the 21st Century the destiny of the world will be decided on it s waters. The growing importance of llie Indian Ocean with a drastic shift of maritime and strategic focus towards it and the challenges and opportunities that are being unleashed by the process of globalisation and regional that this book assumes significance. IOR-ARC is a unique organisation, as its member countries are members of various organisations like Arab League, OAU, OIC, SADC, OPEC, SAARC, APEC, ASEAN, ARF, and BIMSTEC etc. IOR-ARC also provides a common forum for these member countries. Besides it has various subformations like IORAG, IORBF, IORBC, IORF, IOTO. This book not only underlines the economic and strategic importance of Indian Ocean, but also discusses various problems and prospects of IOR-ARC and it is hoped that this book will be helpful to various administrators and organisations working in Indian Ocean Rim.

Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Investment and Business Guide - Strategic and Practical Information

Pan-regional constructions in the Indian Ocean are of relatively recent origin, are contested and remain relatively weak at present. Sub-regional constructions, on the other hand, have tended to be more focussed, especially in terms of security, and have generally been more successful. The principal purpose of this volume is to critically evaluate the debates surrounding these issues and to elucidate some of the main strengths and weaknesses of regionalism at both scales. The discussion begins at the pan-regional scale with an evaluation of pan-regional contestation, followed up by a chapter on the main pan-regional grouping – Indian Ocean Region-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) – which was renamed Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in 2013. Thereafter, key examples of sub-regional groupings – South Asia, ASEAN, SADC and GCC – are critically discussed in turn. The principal readership for this volume will be: scholars of geography, politics and international relations; students of Indian Ocean studies; regionalism experts; bureaucrats and politicians both within and outside the Indian Ocean Region who wish to gain insights into Indian Ocean matters; scholars who appreciate a view of regional relations ‘from the inside’. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region.

This book provides a synoptic view of the Indian Ocean and maritime security in its contested waters. The volume highlights the competition between major Asian powers to control the Indian Ocean periphery; shows that cooperation amongst the major regional powers could abate the threat of the potential of conflict becoming global and inviting external intervention; and discusses India’s Look East policy and the deepening relation between India and ASEAN. It argues for the need for Indian Ocean states and particularly SAARC members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association to look afresh at their political and security issues and common interests. It also suggests measures for evolving a robust mechanism of maintaining the Indian Ocean as a sustainable zone of commerce, energy, security and peace rather than threat.