Individual Paper
2. From Oceanic Crossroads: Empires, Networks and Histories
The maritime borders in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) are increasingly becoming a militarized space between the various states. The region's changing alliances and geopolitics can be taken as evidence that the ideas and imaginations of borders are far more than their physical manifestations and have been constructed over time through various agents, ideas, and representations. To understand the threat perception in the IOR, the India-China Maritime spheres have become one of the most significant lenses to deconstruct the great power rivalry in the Asian continent. The aggressive policies by China in the IOR are due to its historical linkages of the interpretation of the principle of the “Middle Kingdom” or “the Centre of the Earth” ( Belt and Road Initiative, String of Pearls Policy). However, when one country becomes more aggressive in international politics, other countries come together to form alliances and contain them (Walt, 1990). The paper seeks to deconstruct the great power rivalry in the region. It aims to analyze how island countries like Maldives perceive India-China security initiatives.
Saumya Shivangi
Banaras Hindu University, India