28 October 2022, NIICE Commentary 8363
Khyati Anand

The existence of maritime space dates back to the big bang explosion. The realization of the importance of the seas has led to countries being more cautious of maritime space. The advancement of technology in the previous century has increased the dependence of the world economy on the seas, along with an increase in the threats from maritime space. There is an increasing competition between countries that have access to the seas to influence the spheres for their own self-interest.

The maritime domain has a multilateral construct with geopolitical, geostrategic, and geo-economics dimensions. History makes it evident that many wars have been fought to gain control of  maritime space. For example, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 was fought over control of Vladivostok and Port Arthur in the East Asia region. The Suez Canal War of 1956 was also fought to gain control over the important canal for power. Countries, especially great powers, play a vital role in shaping the narratives and determining the importance of a region.

Geo-economics Significance

The foremost functions of maritime space for a long time have been economic, commercial, and logistical. Maritime transport is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. Ships and shipping support the livelihoods of billions of people in the developing world. With the reliance of the world on maritime space for trade, the concept of choke points has emerged. Four important choke points in the Indian Ocean, namely the Straits of Hormuz, Malacca, Bab el Mandeb, and the Madagascar Channel, are critical for the continuation of trade around the world. In various areas of the world, geography has been moulded to reduce the distance between maritime spaces for economic gains. The Panama Canal and the Suez Canal are examples of this shortening of distances.

“For whosoever commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself,” wrote English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1829. According to Sir Walter, a country that has unrestricted access to the seas, both near and far, is able to command trade and have influence over various regions. This influence is important for pursuing significant economic interests. A country that controls most of the economic pathways is thus paving the way to becoming a dominant power. China’s interest in the Indian Ocean is mainly because most of China’s trade passes through that region. To pursue these interests, China established foreign bases in Djibouti and engaged with other neighbouring countries of India. India, which was sea blind long ago, woke up feeling threatened by the theory of the string of pearls and devised its own strategy to counter the threat.

Geopolitical Threats

The advancement of technology in various domains in the 21st century has led to an increase in its uses, along with a multiplication in the threats that come with it. Previously, with the nascent stages of technology, there was no significant threat from the seas other than an invasion. But with the rapid growth of technology, today missiles can be launched from sea bases and do enormous destruction to the resources of another country. At present, the maritime space is used to conduct joint naval exercises between countries, which can aid its utilization in the event of an adversary. The seas are also used for experimenting with nuclear technologies for creating energy in an efficient manner.

A.T. Mahan, a United States naval officer and historian, studied the rise and fall of naval powers and proposed the sea power theory, which argues the importance of a country’s supremacy at sea for political and economic success. According to him, a country requires an advantageous geographical position, serviceable coast lines, an extent of territory, and a government with an inclination to dominate the sea.

Control over maritime space is important as it provides an advantage to countries with maritime boundaries over landlocked countries. In the status quo, geostrategic location matters more than the technological capabilities of a country. In terms of geography, the strategic location of any country provides an upper hand in having more access to the sea. India, because of its geography, has access to the vast Indian Ocean, which provides an upper hand over China. Whereas China, despite having better technological capabilities than India, still has a disadvantage due to its restricted access to the Indian Ocean and the crowded geography of the region.

Managing Spheres Of Influence

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shifted the geopolitical pivot from the Indian Ocean to the Indo-Pacific. Earlier, China was focused on its presence in the Indian Ocean, developing its capabilities and good ties with the IOR countries to fulfill its geostrategic and geo-economics ambitions. The influence game has shifted to the Pacific Ocean now, with the realization by the United States that China is a real threat. China has been influencing the South China Sea and areas surrounding it for a long period of time. The Ukraine war rang a bell in the United States about the possibility of a similar move by China, like that of Russia, to materialize China’s one China policy.

Also, the QUAD dialogue helped the Indo-Pacific area gain focus over this period. Recently, the Chinese foreign minister went to the small islands in the Indo-Pacific to strike a deal with them to increase their influence in the region but failed miserably. The United States is also trying to maintain its influence in the Indo-Pacific by engaging actively with Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

Since the world is dominated by the great powers, their areas of interest become the pivot of politics, and currently it is the Indo-Pacific region. It is important for these powers to continue to manage their spheres of influence to have a strategic advantage over their rivals. Having spheres of influence is most crucial at the time of an adversary to turn tables in their favour. It would not be incorrect to say that great powers are managing their spheres of influences to have an upper hand in the worst-case scenario.

Maritime space holds importance in the 21st century for the most important concerns of a country – economics and security. More importantly, having supremacy of a geostrategic location makes great powers more powerful and accentuate the value of a region or sphere. The question remains – how well can a country secure its interest in the maritime domain?

Khyati Anand is a Research Intern at NIICE.