(Note for Jacket--see Marketing File-so/10/26]The vast, politically turbulent region encompassing the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, forty-two littoral states, and one third of the world's population is one of the most potentially explosive theaters of superpower rivalry. In this study, three American and three Indian authors, reflecting different perspectives and areas of expertise, examine the principal factors that have led to the escalation of superpower tensions in the region: the war in Afghanistan, and its spillover into the Afghanistan-Pakistani borderlands; the Indo-Pakistani nuclear arms race; ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka; the Iran-Iraq war; Islamic fundamentalism; and the rapidly growing military presence of the superpowers in the area. Considering how India's emergence as a military power is influencing superpower and indigenous tensions in the region, the contributors compare Indian, American, and Soviet interests, and offer solutions for current Indian-American disagreements.

This study focuses on the political and strategic implications of the presence in the Indian Ocean of the United States and the Soviet Union. The author examines the geopolitics of the region in historical perspective and describes the evolution of U.S. and Soviet strategy in the Indian Ocean. The central theme of the book is that the naval deployments of the superpowers should be seen in the context of each power's economic and security interests rather than in the context of military rivalry. The book provides an incisive and comprehensive account of U.S. and Soviet strategies in the Indian Ocean by establishing and integrating the links between the economic, political, and strategic dynamics of the situation.

China and India are emerging as major maritime powers as part of long-term shifts in the regional balance of power. As their wealth, interests, and power grow, the two countries are increasingly bumping up against each other across the Indo-Pacific. China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean is seen by many as challenging India’s aspirations towards regional leadership and major power status. How India and China get along in this shared maritime space—cooperation, coexistence, competition, or confrontation—will be one of the key strategic challenges for the entire region. India and China at Sea is an essential resource in understanding how the two countries will interact as major maritime powers in the coming decades. The essays in the volume, by noted strategic analysts from across the world, seek to better understand Indian and Chinese perspectives about their roles in the Indian Ocean and their evolving naval strategies towards each other.

On the world maps common in America, the Western Hemisphere lies front and center, while the Indian Ocean region all but disappears. This convention reveals the geopolitical focus of the now-departed twentieth century, but in the twenty-first century that focus will fundamentally change. In this pivotal examination of the countries known as “Monsoon Asia”—which include India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania—bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan shows how crucial this dynamic area has become to American power. It is here that the fight for democracy, energy independence, and religious freedom will be lost or won, and it is here that American foreign policy must concentrate if the United States is to remain relevant in an ever-changing world. From the Horn of Africa to the Indonesian archipelago and beyond, Kaplan exposes the effects of population growth, climate change, and extremist politics on this unstable region, demonstrating why Americans can no longer afford to ignore this important area of the world.

The paper focuses on the interaction between the presence of the superpowers in the Indian Ocean and the regional conflicts which have caused concern in the last decade. It first presents an historical survey of external involvement in the Indian Ocean and defines the region in its geographical context. Then, in a chronological assessment of the activities of the United States and the Soviet Union in the Indian Ocean region, it is shown how the Indian Ocean moved from being an area of low strategic priority, to one at the forefront of the strategic competition between East and West. Finally, the paper considers the impact of changing geostrategic circumstances on regional security relationships.

The paper focuses on the interaction between the presence of the superpowers in the Indian Ocean and the regional conflicts which have caused concern in the last decade. It first presents an historical survey of external involvement in the Indian Ocean and defines the region in its geographical context. Then, in a chronological assessment of the activities of the United States and the Soviet Union in the Indian Ocean region, it is shown how the Indian Ocean moved from being an area of low strategic priority, to one at the forefront of the strategic competition between East and West. Finally, the paper considers the impact of changing geostrategic circumstances on regional security relationships.