| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The maritime dimension of ASEAN-India defense cooperation has always occupied a premier position given the geographical realities of Southeast Asia. Unlike air and land forces, naval forces offer policymakers strategic flexibility in the pursuit of foreign policy objectives in areas where maritime interests coincide. However, the ambiguous nature of naval forces could also be controversial, particularly in maritime zones of potential geopolitical rivalry. 1 The dual nature of naval forces is best manifest in India's naval cooperation with its ASEAN counterparts. While the Indian Navy (IN) essentially serves as a flexible diplomatic instrument of New Delhi's "Look East" policy since the end of the Cold War, its role in regional security dynamics is not without controversy, especially in the context of recent simmering tensions in the South China Sea. Hence, this article aims to examine the dynamics of ASEAN-Indian defense cooperation in the naval sphere, using the case studies of Singapore and Vietnam.
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