Maritime Regional Security Orders: A Comparison Between the Indo-Pacific and the South Atlantic

Abstract

The comparative analysis of different regions plays a pivotal role in comprehending the emerging era of intense great power competition. This article introduces the framework of Maritime Regional Security Order (MRSO), shedding light on intricate interaction patterns among local and extra-regional powers within specific geographical areas, where the nature of interactions ranges from conflict-driven to cooperative regional settings. Within this framework, the South Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions are examined as case studies of MRSO, both influenced by shared global dynamics that are facing heightened pressures due to escalating tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The findings underscore that divergent regional forces are likely to contribute to a higher level of stability in the South Atlantic when compared to the Indo-Pacific region.

Keywords:

• Maritime regional orders
• regional security
• comparative orders
• South Atlantic
• Indo-Pacific

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Alfred Mahan, Influencia del Poder Naval en la Historia, Buenos Aires, Editorial Partenon, Buenos Aires, 1946, p. 534.

2. Julian Corbett, Principles of Maritime Strategy, Dover Publications, New York, 2012, p. 103.

3. Jo Bekkevold, and Geoffrey Till (eds.), International Order at Sea: How it is Challenged, How it is Maintained, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2016, p. 307.

4. Ibid., pp. 7–8.

5. Halford Mackinder, ‘The Geographical Pivot of History’. The Geographical Journal, 23(4), 1904, pp. 421–437.

6. Heriberto Cairo, ‘La Geopolítica como «ciencia del Estado»: el mundo del general Haushofer’, Geopolítica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder, 3 (2), 2011, pp. 337–345.

7. Nicholas Spykman, The Geography of Peace, Harcourt, Brace and Company New York, 1944.

8. Alfred Mahan, Influencia del Poder Naval en la Historia, Buenos Aires, Editorial Partenon, Buenos Aires, 1946.

9. Julian Corbett, no. 2.

10. Kevin Rowlands, 21st Century Gorshkov, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2017.

11. Julian Corbett, no. 2.

12. Lord Carver, ‘Continental or maritime strategy? Past, present and future’, The RUSI Journal 134 (3), 1989, pp. 69.

13. Andrew Erickson, ‘China’, in Thierry Balzacq, Peter Dombrowski, and Simon Reich (eds.), Comparative Grand Strategy: A Framework and Cases: Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019, p. 75.

14. China’s Military Strategy, Information Office of the State Council, 2015 at http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/white_paper/2015/05/27/content_281475115610833.htm (Accessed 15 February 2022).

15. Indian Navy, Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy, Ministry of Defence, 2015.

16. S. Sethi, ‘Indian Navy: The quest for blue waters’. Indian Defence Review, 2014 at http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/indian-navy-the-quest-for-blue-waters/ (Accessed 3 March 2022).

17. S. Dutta, ‘Indian Navy informs government about the fleet’s reoriented mission pattern’, The New Indian Express at https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/01/indian-navy-informs-government-about-the-fleets-reoriented-mission-pattern-1795404.html (Accessed 15 March 2022).

18. G. S. Khurana, ‘China’s ‘String of Pearls’ in the Indian Ocean and Its Security Implications’. Strategic Analysis, 32 (1), 2008, p. 3; J. Dixon, From “Pearls” to “Arrows”: Rethinking the “String of Pearls” Theory of China’s Naval Ambitions, Comparative Strategy, 33 (4), pp. 389–400; J. Ashraf. “String of Pearls and China’s Emerging Strategic Culture”. Strategic Studies 37 (4), 2017, pp. 166–81.

19. Julian Corbett, no. 2, p. 103.

20. V. Sakhuja, ‘Maritime Security Order in Asia: a perspective from India’, in Joachim Krause y Sebastian Bruns, Routledge Handbook of Naval Strategy and Security. Routledge, London, 2015, p. 316.

21. David Garcia Cantalapiedra and Javier García González, The changing nature of NATO: towards a regional security organization?, UNISCI Discussion Papers 22, 2010, pp. p. 130–141.

22. Brendon Cannon and Ash Rossiter, “The “Indo-Pacific”: Regional Dynamics in the 21st Century’s New Geopolitical Center of Gravity”. Rising Powers Quarterly 3 (2), 2018, pp. 7.

23. Roberto Russell and Fabian Calle, ‘Periferias turbulentas y penetradas: su papel en la expansión de los intereses de seguridad de Estados Unidos en América Latina’, Revista CEBRI: Brazilian Journal of International Affairs, 1 (2), 2022, pp. 167–189.

24. Adriana Abdenur and Danilo Marcondes de Souza Neto, ‘Brazil in the South Atlantic: Growing Protagonism and Unintended Consequences’, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre, Oslo, 2013.

25. V. Shubin, and A. Tokarev, ‘War in Angola: A Soviet Dimension’, Review of African Political Economy, 28 (90), 2001, pp. 607–618.

26. Klaus Dodds, ‘The Falkland Islands as Strategic Gateway: Britain and the South Atlantic Overseas Territories’. RUSI Journal,157 (6), 2012, pp. 18–25.

27. K. Stacey, ‘China signs 99-year lease on Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port’, Financial Times, 2017 at https://www.ft.com/content/e150ef0c-de37-11e7-a8a4-0a1e63a52f9c. (Accessed 15 March 2022).

28. D. Makichuk, ‘Indian Navy deployment sends ‘message’ to China’, Asia Times, 2020 at https://asiatimes.com/2020/07/indian-navy-deployment-sends-clear-message-to-china/ (Accessed 23 March 2022).

29. Sabrina Medeiros, ‘Maritime Coordination and Inter-American Cooperation in the South’, CIMSEC at https://cimsec.org/maritime-coordination-and-inter-american-cooperation-in-the-south/ (Accessed 17 October 2023).

30. Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, ‘Strengthening maritime cooperation and security in the Indian Ocean’, IISS, London at https://www.iiss.org/blogs/analysis/2018/09/maritime-cooperation-indian-ocean (Accessed 25 July 2022).

31. About the IORA general framework see Moses Onyango Ogutu ‘The Indian Ocean Rim Association: Lessons from this regional cooperation model’, South African Journal of International Affairs, 28(1), 2021, pp. 71–92.

32. Ranendra Singh Sawan, ‘Problems and prospects of maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region: A Case Study of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)’, Sea Power Soundings, 15, Royal Australian Navy, 2020.

33. H. Katsumata, ‘Establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum: Constructing a ‘Talking Shop’ or a ‘Norm Brewery’?’ Pacific Review, 19 (2), 2006, pp. 181–182.

34. Whasun Jho and Soo Chan, ‘Hegemonic Disputes and the Limits of the ASEAN Regional Forum’, Pacific Focus, 29 (2), 2014, pp. 243–247.

35. For a broader discussion about the ZOPACAS role in Maritime Security in the South Atlantic see Andrea Ribeiro Hoffmann & Danilo Marcondes, ‘Maritime Regions and the South Atlantic’ Contexto Internacional, 39(2), and the rest of the articles of the special issue.

36. Sabrina Medeiros and Williams Moreira, ‘Maritime Co-operation among South Atlantic Countries and Repercussions for the Regional Community of Security Practice’, Contexto Internacional, 39(2), 2017, pp. 283.

37. Adriana Erthal Abdenur, Frank Mattheis and Pedro Seabra, ‘An Ocean for the Global South: Brazil and the Zone of Peace and Cooperation in the South Atlantic’, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 29 (3), 2016, pp. 1128.

38. Jagdish Bhagwati ‘US Trade Policy: The Infatuation with FTAs’. Department of Economics Discussion Papers, 726, Columbia University, 1995.

39. Amrita Narlikar, ‘New Powers in the Club: The Challenges of Global Trade Governance’. International Affairs 86 (3), 2010, pp. 717–28.

40. Yogesh Joshi and Harsh Pant, ‘Indo-Japanese Strategic Partnership and Power Transition in Asia’, India Review 14 (3), 2015, pp. 319.

41. After the Sino-Indian 2020 clashes in 2020 in the Ladakh border area, India facilitated the entry of Australia into the Malabar Exercise.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ariel Sabastian Gonzalez Levaggi

Ariel Sabastian Gonzalez Levaggi is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations of Social Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, and Co-Chair of the Section ‘Asia and the Americas’, at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), Pittsburg, PA.