“To know India and her peoples, one has to know the monsoon”, wrote the indefatigable Khushwant Singh. To know the upcoming global contest of sovereign wills, one has to know the Indian Ocean. Analysing the world for what it is, rather than what we would like it to be, forms the edifice of The Contest for the Indian Ocean.
Perceptive scholarship begins in the past. Baruah’s efforts are a stark contrast to the half-baked media razzmatazz that passes off for analysis these days. The book kindles the idea of imagining the Indian Ocean as a continuous and interconnected maritime theatre. It argues against the tendency of tearing asunder a vast maritime landscape into regional silos. The structure of the book is built on the astute German proverb that politics is the daughter of history and the granddaughter of geography.
In seeking to shake off the “lopsided continental-defence outlook” in India, Baruah undoubtedly is a part of the salon of a legion of Indian strategists who believe that India’s destiny lies in the seas. Ideas of stalwarts like KM Pannikar, K Subrahmanyam, and C Raja Mohan are the grounding force that informs Baruah’s appeal to policymakers and analysts to reenvision an integrated maritime consciousness. The oceans, argues Baruah, have been given step-daughterly treatment by Delhi since independence.
The author is also uniquely qualified to pen this book. Her lived experiences in all the Quad countries, from Washington D.C. to Tokyo, give her a palpable sense of smell and touch, often missing in similar accounts. Her extensive interviews for this project also add a layer of originality to her work. To people who believe– not wholly incorrectly– that “think tanks” are fashionable talk shops, Baruah’s work is a rare reminder of the relevance of her industry. She arguably succeeds in the task of building bridges between practitioners, thinkers and scholars.
Another argument of the book worth pondering over is the “deep-seated frustration” in small island states with the “strategic arrogance” of established powers in the Indian Ocean. Small states turn to China for economic largesse after being disappointed by their traditional benefactors. As Singaporean diplomats argue: in the growing great power competition in the Indo-Pacific, small states will try to win goodies from both sides. Cosy up to a single power and run the risk of being taken for granted.
Lastly, there is something to be said about the moderating influence of the seas. If Delhi is the subcontinental rowdy, then Bombay is the city of luscious tongues. Dutch, British, and American history reminds us that trade and commerce—the engines of great powers—are indelibly linked to the flow of water.
