ABSTRACT
Research, altogether 42 per cent of world conflicts can be associated with Indian Ocean countries. 2 The list is extensive, but notable conflict areas are Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Though the causes of these conflicts vary, many can be associated with weak or failed states, significant levels of poverty, poorly developed institutions, the absence of democracy, corruption, competition for scarce resources, interference by foreign powers, the global war on terror and what can be termed as ‘turbulence’ in the Islamic world. The urgent need for both human and sustainable economic development and improved security cooperation within the Indian Ocean Region is obvious. The region is rich in energy resources and minerals such as gold, tin, uranium, cobalt, nickel, aluminium and cadmium, and also contains abundant fishing resources. Oil and gas traversing the Indian Ocean are of great importance to the global economy. Roughly 55 per cent of known oil reserves and 40 per cent of gas reserves are in the Indian Ocean Region. The Gulf and Arab states produce around 21 per cent of the world’s oil, with daily crude exports of up to 17,262 million barrels, representing about 43 per cent of international exports. 3 Indian Ocean ports handle about 30 per cent of global trade and half of the word’s container traffic traverses the Indian Ocean. However, the Indian Ocean has some of the world’s most important choke points, notably the straits of Hormuz, Malacca and the Babel-Mandeb. As these choke points are strategically important for global trade and energy flow, a number of extra-regional states maintain a naval presence in the Indian Ocean.
