Journal of the Indian Ocean Region

ISSN: 1948-0881 (Print) 1948-108X (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rior20

Maritime order and connectivity in the Indian

Ocean: the renewed significance of the Bay of
Bengal

Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury & Rakhahari Chatterji

To cite this article: Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury & Rakhahari Chatterji (2019) Maritime order
and connectivity in the Indian Ocean: the renewed significance of the Bay of Bengal, Journal of the
Indian Ocean Region, 15:3, 241-244, DOI: 10.1080/19480881.2019.1665823

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 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION
2019, VOL. 15, NO. 3, 241–244
https://doi.org/10.1080/19480881.2019.1665823

INTRODUCTION

Maritime order and connectivity in the Indian Ocean: the

renewed significance of the Bay of Bengal

Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury and Rakhahari Chatterji

Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata

Introduction
Matters maritime have garnered renewed focus over the last few years. Despite the fact that
seas and oceans have always had an impact on civilizations, for many decades during the
latter half of the past century the attention of states had shifted from a maritime perspective
to a continental one. Several factors such as the growing economic interdependence in the
post-globalization world, the rise of China, and India’s slow but steady presence in the strategic
scenario have brought the significance of maritime connectivity back to the fore. This is
especially true for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) which is fringed by many littoral countries
that are becoming economically stronger and politically more visible. Within the IOR the Bay
of Bengal holds the key to act as the forerunner for enhanced bilateral and multilateral engage-
ment. In response to geo-political forces, multilateral approaches, such as ‘Free and open Indo-
Pacific’ led by the U.S and Japan, the ‘One Belt and One Road Project’ put forward by China and
the Act East Policy and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) as envisioned by India
are gaining traction. In this context, Australia’s ‘Look West’ policy is also noteworthy. As a con- What can be
vergent and/or competitive zone of all these approaches, the Bay of Bengal has once again the Policy of
gained strategic and economic significance. Bangladesh?
Covering more than 2,173,000 square kilometers (Morgan, Balakrishna, & Verlaan, 2009), the is missing
Bay is situated between vital sea routes and stretches from Sri Lanka up to the coast of eastern here
Local can be India, curving under Bangladesh and Myanmar and heading south along Thailand, Malaysia
Bangladesh and Singapore until it reaches the northern coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. For South and South-
east Asia, the Bay has been an important trading zone for centuries.
In this dynamic situation, it is important to understand two broad aspects: (a) the interests of
local, regional as well as global powers; and (b) the key threats that pose a risk to free and open
maritime space and sustainable exploitation of maritime resources. There is a renewed drive to
revive the age-old sea links that once connected the coastal areas of littorals in multiple ways.
Presently, the extent of maritime connectivity among rim states in this region varies, and often
these links are subject to political shifts which affect seamless operations. Improved connec-
tivity would facilitate enhanced economic exchanges, and also strengthen cultural and political
ties. Additionally, better maritime links would pave the way for improved security and
enhanced management of resources of the oceans. Acknowledging the vital need for bringing
the Bay of Bengal back into intellectual focus, this special issue of the Journal of Indian Ocean
Research has been divided into three main segments of ‘Research Articles,’ ‘Discussion Papers’
and ‘Book Review’ comprising ten entries.

CONTACT Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury anasuabasu@orfonline.org

© 2019 Indian Ocean Research Group
242 A. B. R. CHAUDHURY AND R. CHATTERJI

Looking back
The tale of the Bay of Bengal is the saga of rise, fall and re-awakening of a turbulent sea and its
littoral countries as the hub of connectivity and livelihood (Basu Ray Chaudhury, Basu, & Bose,
2018, p. 1). Long before the colonial era, the countries surrounding the Bay were linked
together through cultural and commercial ties. The article ‘Crossings and Contacts across
the Bay of Bengal: A Connected History of Ports in early South and Southeast Asia’ in this
volume by Suchandra Ghosh explores such ties between South and South East Asia from a his-
torical perspective.
With the influx of the European powers, competition for colonies loomed large. Apart from
the British, the French and the Dutch also developed a stronghold around the Bay, and there
was frequent circulation of officers. Commerce also expanded as the colonial masters became
large exporters of agricultural goods. Under such circumstances, the colonial era further
strengthened inter-Bay connectivity.
However, the First World War caused the colonial grip to falter, and in the flame of nation-
alism that consequently engulfed the Bay littorals, the earlier focus on commerce was lost. In
the wake of decolonization, the newly independent countries sensitive about their sovereignty
and economic future prioritized self-sufficiency over dependence on trade (Amrith, 2013, p. 3)
and the Bay of Bengal gradually became a strategic backwater.
With the creation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967 and the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1985 hope for a new era of con-
nectivity was gradually reignited among the member countries. Furthermore, the creation of
the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC) in 1997 marked the beginning of the re-integration of the Bay. In this context, a
book entitled Twenty years of BIMSTEC: promoting regional cooperation and integration in the
Bay of Bengal region (Prabir De, 2018) has been reviewed by K. Yhome in the present volume.

From backwater to geostrategic space

Given that in addition to the major Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs), the busiest East–West
shipping route passes very close to the Bay of Bengal the importance of this maritime space in
global geopolitics cannot be overstated. Over the last couple of decades and more intensely in
recent years, the rise and the presence of China has had a defining role in the Bay, its extended
waters in the Andaman Sea and in the larger Indo-Pacific region. On the one hand, in Asia, the
rise of China has opened space for new bilateral, multilateral and regional initiatives and on the
other, Beijing’s defining presence has also prompted policy shifts among major global powers
like the U.S., Japan, and Australia leading them to reassert the order conducive for freedom of
navigation and compliance of all user states with international maritime law in the IOR.
In view of the opportunities and challenges that abound this maritime space, the littorals
have sought to revitalize their inter-Bay connectivity. Subsequently, contemplations are on
in the Indian diplomatic circles of how the vision of SAGAR which seeks collective growth
for all can be made mutually reinforcing with Project Sagarmala that looks into the country’s
port-led development (Government of India, 2019). Bangladesh also deems it necessary to
deepen its ties with India based on reciprocity and mutual respect. The Bay is increasingly
becoming important for Sri Lanka as well, and developments in these waters are sure to con-
dition the island country’s strategic endeavors. Against the background of changing dynamics
of the Bay, the article ‘Development through connectivity: India’s maritime narrative’ by
P. V. Rao and two discussion papers ‘Unfolding Bangladesh-India Maritime Connectivity in
the Bay of Bengal Region: A Bangladesh Perspective’ by Delwar Hossain and Md. Shariful
 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION 243

Islam, and ‘Sri Lankan Perspectives on the Bay of Bengal’ by Chulanee Attanayeke talk about
strategies adopted by the littoral countries like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, respectively.
Several non-littoral major powers have also expressed concern as their economic well-being
depends on the freedom of the SLOCs and their strategic security rests upon maintaining a
balance of power in the region. There is also the argument that India needs to assume a
more visible and prominent role than hitherto played by her. Consequently, India’s increasing
role in the region by virtue of its geographic location at the center of the Indian Ocean has been
accepted and encouraged by the U.S., Australia and Japan. Consequently, several agreements
like the India-U.S. dialogue on Asia (2010), the India-Japan-U.S. trilateral dialogue (2011) and
Australia-India-Japan trilateral dialogue (2015) (Saran, 2017) have been forged. Trilateral stra-
tegic partnerships also exist between India, the U.S. and Japan (Madan, 2017). The idea of a
new Quad 2.0 has gained momentum since November 2017 focusing on maintaining status
quo in the Indo-Pacific and enhancing command of the sea. In effect, it is directed to facilitate
India and Australia to re-arrange their existing command structures and fleet arrangements and
enable the BECA (Basic Exchange and Co-operation Agreement), allowing the United States to
share sensitive data with India (Chandramohan, 2018). Against this backdrop, the article
entitled, ‘Repositioning the Bay of Bengal: implications of regional change’ by Dennis Hardy
and a discussion paper ‘Is the Bay of Bengal regaining its lost importance?’ by Nitin Agarwala
and Premehsa Saha in this volume try to explore how once regarded as back water, the Bay has
been transformed to a geo-strategic and geo-economic maritime space.
It is also important to note how the Andaman Sea, a part of the larger Bay now set to play a
dynamic role as the Indo-Pacific, gains strategic centrality (Raja Mohan & Wagle, 2019, January
1). Situated at the juncture of the Bay and the Strait of Malacca, the Andaman Sea is poised as a
geostrategic gateway through which India can extend its reach further into the eastern Indo-
Pacific (Bose, 2019). Keeping this fact in consideration the articled ‘Andaman and Nicobar
Islands: facilitating India’s connectivity in the Bay of Bengal’ by Pratnashree Basu, Sohini
Bose and Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury examines emerging potential of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands (ANI) in boosting the country’s connectivity, strategic outreach, and prowess
in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Nonetheless, possibilities exist for transforming this maritime space into a conflict zone. It is
imperative therefore to put in place mechanisms that would reduce and control conflict and
facilitate dialogue and constructive engagement among the major actors. Security and sustain-
able exploitation of maritime resources are vital for avoiding adverse circumstances potentially
detrimental to the regional dynamics of trade and maritime security. In this volatile situation, it
is important to understand two broad aspects: (a) the interests of local, regional as well as
global powers; and (b) the key threats to free and open maritime space, global trade and sus-
tainable exploitation of maritime resources.

The turbulence of the Bay and looming threat of climate change

The Bay of Bengal is also infamous for its turbulence and frequently experiences cyclones. Tsu-
namis are also frequent here as the Andaman Sea part of the Bay is home to the Andaman-
Sumatra Subduction Zone, a seismic activity prone area along the mutually jostling European
and Indo-Australian tectonic plates (Basu, Bose, & Basu Ray Chaudhury, 2019). The resultant
earthquakes frequently trigger Tsunamis, the most intense and devastating of which had
been witnessed in 2004.
Further, the Bay of Bengal region is extremely vulnerable and susceptible to climate change. Due
to global warming, the region is experiencing a rise in sea surface temperature and sea level, increas-
ing frequency of severe storms, and consequently, net land loss. What choices do these littorals have
244 A. B. R. CHAUDHURY AND R. CHATTERJI

in the region? How do these countries address environmental security in the face of climate change-
induced displacement in the eco-region? The article on ‘Managed Retreat: Adaptation to Climate
Change in the Sundarbans ecoregion in the Bengal Delta’ by Anamitra Anurag Danda, Nilanjan
Ghosh, Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Sugata Hazra and a discussion paper, ‘ Perils of Climate
Change in the Bay of Bengal: India-Bangladesh in Perspective’ by Simi Mehta and Vikash Kumar
intend to address these alarming issues in the context of India-Bangladesh relations.

Need for a rule-based order?

The need for a rule-based maritime order as crucial to safeguarding the oceans and seas has
been underscored repeatedly in recent years. The acknowledgment and echoing of such a
format of maritime order signals the intent of countries concerned to maintain stability and
operability in the Bay and in the larger Indian Ocean space. Is it time to consider the possibility
of a consensual rule-based order in the Bay for maritime governance? This special issue intends
to pose this question to its readers. Potential further
research starting point??
Acknowledgements
The contents of this journal are based exclusively on the views of the authors and in no way do
these views reflect the views of the IORG Inc., IORAG, IORA, or its member states.

Notes on contributors
Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury, Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow with the ‘Strategic Studies Programme’ at
Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Kolkata. She is the coordinator of the project, ‘Proximity to
Connectivity.’
Rakhahari Chatterji, Ph.D. (Chicago), is Advisor, ORF, Kolkata; formerly Professor and Dean, University
of Calcutta.

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