ABSTRACT
In February 2008, India hosted naval chiefs from around the Indian Ocean in what was named the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, highlighting the role of the Indian Navy as an important instrument of the nation’s foreign and security policy. It was also an attempt by India to promote a multilateral approach in the management of the security of the Indian Ocean. India signalled that as a rising power it is willing to fulfil its maritime responsibilities in the region but unlike in the past when India had been suspicious of what it saw as ‘extra-regional navies’ it is now ready to cooperate with other navies in and around the Indian Ocean. Whether India’s leadership will be enough to promote genuine maritime multilateralism in the region, however, remains to be seen.
