SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative): Shaping India's Security Through Regional Development
https://doi.org/10.24412/2221-3279-2021-10041
Abstract
The world system is undergoing a period of transformation and refragmentation, the disintegration of a single political space into spheres of infl uence formed by the great powers. India, which forms such a sphere around itself, is faced with the problem: a serious economic and military lag behind China, trying, following the ideas
of the Indian elites, to achieve hegemony in Southeast and South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. To fend off these attempts, India has put forward two concepts: Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and the Indo-Pacifi c Oceans Initiative (IPOI). The article is devoted to the analysis of the problems that New Delhi is trying to solve with the help of these concepts, and the consideration of the very process of their implementation. The author notes that both SAGAR and IPOI are not developed strategic documents, but a type of ‘vision’ typical for Indian foreign policy discourse. At the same time, the active assistance provided by India to the countries of the Indian Ocean region within the framework of SAGAR demonstrates that India
perceives these countries as part of its sphere of infl uence and is trying to tie them to itself both politically and economically. On the contrary, the concept of ITOI aims to form partnerships and informal alliances with ASEAN countries and Australia. The author believes that Indian regional concepts are of interest to Russia, allowing it to use the Indian experience and to participate in Indian initiatives.
About the Author
A. V. Kupriyanov
Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexey V. Kupriyanov
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations
Center for Asia-Pacific Studies
South Asia and Indian Ocean Region Group
Candidate of History, Senior Research Fellow, Head
Moscow
References
1. Biswas, A. Assessing Insecurity in the Indian Ocean Region / The Security of Sea Lanes of Communication in the Indian Ocean Region. Ed. by D. Rumley, S. Chaturvedi, M. T. Yasin. London, New York: Routledge, 2007. Pp. 161-181.
2. Brewster, D. India’s Ocean: The Story of India’s bid for regional leadership. London, New York: Routledge, 2014.
3. Chaturvedi, S. Mapping the Maritime Order from International Relations’ Theoretical Perspectives / Whither Indian Ocean Maritime Order? Contributions to a Seminar on Narendra Modi’s SAGAR Speech. Ed. by Y. Kumar, New Delhi: KW Publishers, 2017. Pp. 33-70.
4. Chaudhuri, P. P. The China Factor in Indian Ocean Policy of the Modi and Singh Governments / India and China at Sea: Competition for Naval Dominance in the Indian Ocean. Ed. by D. Brewster. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2018, pp. 56-74.
5. Khalilieh, H. S. Islamic Law of the Sea: Freedom of Navigation and Passage Rights in Islamic Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
6. Khurana, G. S. Asymmetric Maritime Threats in the IOR / Indian Ocean Challenges: A Quest for Cooperative Solutions. Ed. by P. Kaushiva, A. Singh. New Delhi: KW Publishers, 2013. Pp. 35-52.
7. Khurana, G. S. Security of Sea Lines: Prospects for India–Japan Cooperation // Strategic Analysis, 2007. Vol. 31, Issue 1, pp. 139-153.
8. Lebedeva, N. B. Indiiskii okean: vyzovy XXI veka i Indiia (ocherki mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii). (The Indian Ocean – Challenges of XXI Century and India (Studies of the International Relations)). Moscow: IOS RAS, 2018. 575 p.
9. Lebedeva, N. B. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniia v Bol’shom Indiiskom okeane cherez prizmu kontseptsii geopolitiki i geostrategii (International Relations in the Great Indian Ocean through the Prism of Geopolitics and Geostrategy) // Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriia: Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniia, 2020. Vol. 20. № 2. P. 318-332; Doyle, T., Rumley, D. The Rise and Return of the Indo-Pacifi c. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
10. Mohan, C. R. Samudra Manthan: Sino-Indian Rivalry in the Indo-Pacifi c. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2013. 329 p.
11. Moorthy, N. S. India and the Indian Ocean: Strategic Security of Small Island Nations / India’s National Security: A Maritime Security Perspective. Ed. by Suresh R. New Delhi: Vij Books, 2020.
12. Nong Hong. Charting a Maritime Security Cooperation Mechanism in the Indian Ocean: Sharing Responsibilities among Littoral States and User States // Strategic Analysis, 2012. Volume 36, Issue 3, pp. 400-412.
13. Panda, J. The Strategic Imperatives of Modi’s Indo-Pacifi c Ocean Initiative // Asia Pacifi c Bulletin, 2020, No. 503. Mode of access: https://www.eastwestcenter.org/publications/the-strategic-imperatives-modi%E2%80%99s-indo-pacific-ocean-initiative.
14. Panikkar, K. M. India and the Indian Ocean: an Essay on the Infl uence of Sea Power on Indian History. New York: Macmillan Company, 1945. 109 p.
15. Panikkar, K. M. The Strategic Problems of the Indian Ocean. New Delhi: The Indian Institute of International Affairs, 1944. 18 p.
16. Pattanaik, S. S. Indian Ocean in the Emerging Geostrategic Context: Examining India’s Relations with Its Maritime South Asian Neighbors // Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 2016. Volume 12, Issue 2.
17. Sarangi, S. Unpacking SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region). USI Occasional Paper No. 2, 2019. Mode of access: https://usiofindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/USI-Occasional-Paper_2_19-Unpacking-SAGAR-Final-print-File-1.pdf
18. Techera, E. Supporting Blue Economy Agenda: Fisheries, Food Security and Climate Change in the Indian Ocean // Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 2018. Vol. 14, 2018, Issue 1, pp. 7-27.
19. Upadhyaya, S. India’s Maritime Strategy: Balancing Regional Ambitions and China. London, New York: Routledge, 2020. 242 p.
20. Vaidya, K. B. The Naval Defence of India. Bombay: Thacker & Co, 1949. 248 p.
21. Winner, A. C. India: Dominance, Balance, or Predominance in the Indian Ocean? / Deep Currents and Rising Tides: The Indian Ocean and International Security. Ed. by J. Garofano, A. J. Dew. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2013. P. 111-135.
Review
For citations:
Kupriyanov A.V. SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative): Shaping India's Security Through Regional Development. Comparative Politics Russia. 2021;12(4):68-81. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24412/2221-3279-2021-10041
Views:
568
Email this article 
