Indian Ocean Politics

Bordering the tranquil Indian Ocean are a handful of naturally picturesque and culturally unique countries, with enormous potential for development and economic success. However, in the current state of the world, each of these lands face their own societal and political barriers. Here, we will take a glimpse into the various situations across the Southeast Asian region.

India

India holds superiority over the remaining countries in the Southeast Asian region in terms of geography, spanning 3.2 million square kilometers, and population, with an estimated 1.3 billion people as of 2021.

Hindutva

The enormous population of India consists of people of various religious backgrounds, but the disparity in equality and inclusivity for the Hindu religion over all others has been a continuous issue because of the rising popularity of the Hindutva (Hindu supremacy) ideology.

Most notably, Muslim communities in India are experiencing continuous harassment, hate speech and even violence at the hands of the Hindu right-wing nationalists, who have voiced their goal aim to wipe them out entirely. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political party, named Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are devoted supporters of the Hindutva Ideology.

Support for the BJP and Hindutva is strong in the state of Karnataka in southern India, and educational institutions have banned female students from wearing their hijab in classrooms, denying them entry if they tried to attend classes in “religious attire.” The state government of Karnataka even supported these bans. The protests criticizing this discriminatory act resulted in counter-protests from Hindutva-associated students, leading to violence and the subsequent closure of involved institutions for three days.

Religious attacks of a more violent nature have been occurring as recently as earlier this month in India. During the Hindu festival of Ram Navmi in the state of Madhya Pradesh, some participants took to the streets draped in saffron scarves, a symbol of support for the governing BJP and their Hindutva ideology. They proceeded to harass nearby Muslim households and mosques while barraging them with threats of genocide and hate slogans. In the city of Khargone, a mosque and 10 homes were set on fire, with at least 24 people reported injured.

In addition, various incidents of discriminatory violence and harassment have occurred, and hate speech is rampant among influential figures. Some prominent Hindu supremacists with links to BJP have been heard instructing people to gather more weapons and calling for the literal execution of Muslims, while others praised the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and Hitler’s Nazi Germany as good examples for Hindus to follow.

The widespread violations of basic freedoms and human rights are a substantial barrier to the prosperity of India and sets a dangerous example for the rest of the countries in the region that follow India’s footsteps, as well as to the rest of the world.

Ties to global superpowers

Russia

India has been building solid relations with Russia for decades and thus has built up a partial reliance on Russia in the following areas:

·      Diplomacy

Russia has used its veto power in the UN six times to protect India from resolutions that would have otherwise endangered India’s own interests.

·      Military

Russia has consistently been a supplier of weapons to India for the past few decades, to the extent that up to 70% of Indian military equipment are of Soviet/Russian origin. Russia supplies weapons to India at a much lower price than other suppliers, while also sharing valuable technology such as the Akula-class nuclear submarine currently leased to India from the Russian army. In addition, Russia and India have been co-manufacturing weapons such as the BrahMos missile.

·      Energy

India was allowed to conduct their own nuclear energy program via the U.S-India civilian nuclear agreement in 2008 and Russia was the main investor to this program, offering to build six nuclear reactors in India from the start. Russia was also the sole Western country to participate, while others were deterred by the risk of being held liable for any accidents that may occur in the plants. In addition to nuclear power, India’s Oil and Natural Gas Commission has been directly involved in the procurement of fossil fuels in Sakhalin Island, a Russian island in the Pacific Ocean, as reported by The Conversation.

Taking into consideration the fruitful relations between Russia and India in the past, the two countries have reportedly decided to develop a payment system that utilizes their respective currencies (Russian rubles and Indian rupees) and cuts out the globally used United States Dollar. This ruble-rupee system would allow them to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West, and further strengthen their trade relations.

China

Indian relations with neighboring China have been strained for decades as they have fought wars and continue to clash with each other to obtain control of their shared border spanning 3,500 kilometers. The most recent reported clash occurred in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, in June 2020 with casualties on both sides. This resulted in the deployment of thousands of troops on both sides and talks between India and China have been conducted to resolve the issue, but they have not been successful so far.

China is one of India’s biggest trade partners, with many Chinese-owned factories operating within India and bilateral trade reaching the amount of USD 95 billion in 2021-22 alone. India has increased scrutiny of investments and imports since the escalation of the border standoff.

United States of America

The US attempts to cultivate a stronger relationship with India in recent years, but they are unsuccessful in their attempts perhaps because of India’s pre-existing relations with Russia. However, the sanctions placed on Russia by Western countries could force India to choose new avenues for trade, and the US are in an optimal position to do so.

Diplomatically speaking, the US and India are on more precarious terms as the US began signaling for India to change their stance regarding Russia and the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, and to rethink their long-term relations with Russia. India has so far remained neutral on the matter.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom was one of India’s main trade partners in the past, though they have fallen far behind in the last few years. However, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to travel to India for talks with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. The talks may pave the way for new and improved trade relations between the two countries, while PM Johnson has stated that he aims to help India cut their reliance on Russian oil imports as well.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history. This was largely caused by untimely government actions that diminished its foreign reserves, such as tax cuts, unsuitable agriculture policies and a substantial amount of foreign debt built up over many years. Moreover, the obstacles thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine have accelerated the downfall of the Sri Lankan economy. Sri Lankan citizens have taken to the streets to protest the mismanagement of their economy and call for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and most of his government personnel to step down.

Fuel shortages have disrupted the livelihoods of Sri Lanka’s many factory workers, rickshaw drivers and fishers, who make up most of the working class. Unable to work, these people are currently struggling to afford necessities and the skyrocketing price of food due to the lack of supply only makes matters worse.

Considering the shortage of both food and fuel, neighboring India has extended aid to Sri Lanka in the form of a $500 million credit line for importing oil. The oil supply would help Sri Lanka to stay afloat for a fleeting period as it helps to generate up 40 percent of the island's electricity. However, this credit line is expected to be depleted by the end of April, and the Finance Minister of Sri Lanka, Ali Sabry has confirmed that they are still seeking further emergency funding from India and other countries as well. Additionally, India has also begun shipping 40,000 tons of rice to Sri Lanka to combat the food shortage.