Islands are intrinsic parts of the Indian Ocean Region’s physical geography and human landscape. Historically, many have played substantial roles in the regional cultural and economic networks, as well as in the regional political developments. Today, at least three issues bring these islands back to the forefront of the regional and global affairs, namely environment, ocean and geopolitics. However, there has not been yet a lot of research and publication on this phenomenon of islands’ growing significance in the specific context of the Indian Ocean Region.
Firstly, the islands today are of great interest in terms of geopolitics and geostrategy. Island states and island territories have their own internal political dynamics, and they are strongly involved in regional cooperation and international island networks. Among other things, the sovereignty over some islands is still disputed (as for example, for the Chagos Archipelago), some maritime domains are still in the making (some unsettled maritime boundaries, claims for extended continental shelf), and there is an increase interest to develop their military functions. On this latter point, we can even affirm that many of the islands have been very much involved in the recent regional strategic developments, and military cooperation with foreign powers has increased significantly.
Developing stronger links with their surrounding waters is another main issue for the islands. The ocean is seen as providing economic opportunities (blue economy: fishing, aquaculture, tourism, energy, etc.), but also as an environment that needs to be better protected (biodiversity, ocean physicochemical conditions) and controlled (regulation, monitoring, policing, defence). Like the other coastal states, the islands have gained extended rights and duties over larger oceanic spaces, as granted by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This made them very relevant in regard to the regional maritime affairs and well positioned in the regional and international programs to develop the blue economy and maritime security.
Finally, in regard to the environment, the islands are recognized as being very fragile and facing growing pressures, which are both internal and external. On the one hand, local natural resources and ecosystems need to be exploited and managed in a sustainable manner, with specific efforts to be made to limit the environmental degradation and pollution, as well as to expand conservation. On the other hand, the islands are also going to be greatly affected by global changes, including changes in climate conditions and sea level rise. Overall, environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation have emerged as main challenges for the twenty-first century. Failing to cope with these issues could have significant regional repercussions in terms of migrations and stability.
With this in mind, we realized this special edition falls short of providing a comprehensive picture of the islands’ growing significance in the Indian Ocean Region. Nevertheless, we propose an interesting mix of papers addressing some of the main issues listed above, hoping that this will initiate the development of a much stronger island research agenda feeding both island studies and Indian Ocean studies. Addressing the three subthemes in order, this special issue includes ‘Balancing and bandwagoning: explaining shifts in Sri Lankan foreign policy’ by Rajni Nayanthara Gamage, ‘Cocos and Christmas Islands: building Australia’s strategic assets in the Indian Ocean’ by David Brewster and Rory Medcalf, ‘“Indo-Mauritians” and the Indian Ocean. Literacy accounts and anthropological readings’ by Mathieu Claveyrolas, ‘The European Union and the Indian Ocean islands: identifying opportunities for developing a more ambitious and comprehensive strategy’ by Erwan Lannon, ‘Towards a workers’ history of the Chagos Archipelago’ by Marina Carter, ‘Small islands understanding of maritime security: the cases of Seychelles and Mauritius’ by James A. Malcolm and Linganaden Murday, and ‘Tropical Cyclones: the dialectics of social and environmental change in Sundarban Delta’ by Debojyoti Das.
Unfortunately, due to publishing constraints, this foreword cannot provide a better presentation of each of these papers, with full context and editorial remarks. However, we want to stress that each of these papers addresses an important issue for the Indian Ocean islands, whether it be strategic considerations, foreign policy-making, external power action, internal geopolitics, history and collective memories, maritime security, as well as cyclones and disaster management. Let’s just close this foreword by insisting that, as much as the islands can be seen from the outside great powers and larger regional powers as useful – mainly for strategic and economic reasons – there is a strong need to also consider and better understand the islands’ perspectives on the challenges they face today, the future they aspire to and their integration to a vibrant but complex Indian Ocean Region.Footnote1
Acknowledgment
This edition of JIOR draws upon the research of a much larger project entitled ‘Building an Indian Ocean Region’ DP120101166, which is funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects Scheme for funding in 2012–2017.
Notes
1. In accordance with this view, academics and researchers should be encouraged to write, among other subjects, on how the islands are affected by and perceive the ambitions of great and regional powers in the Indian Ocean (such as India and Australia, etc.), on the consequences of growing ‘foreign’ power involvements in the South-West Indian Ocean Islands (such as the European Union, China, France and India) and on the presence of the Arabs, Malays/Austronesians, Dravidians, Phoenicians and Chinese in the Indian Ocean islands, prior to European settlements. Also, there is a need to better capture the full size of some island states which are truly large ‘Ocean States’ (such as Seychelles, Mauritius and Maldives).