For centuries, Africa was a playground for colonial powers, who exploited countries in the continent. In the 21st century, Africa has emerged politically and economically and showing signs of long-lasting economic growth.
Africa is now a 'coveted continent'. Rich in natural resources, including arable land, oil and minerals, it is attracting massive foreign investment. The Indian Ocean is also an African Ocean.
Dennis Rumley, the editor of the book, gives us an overview of African waters, littoral and hinterland, in the context of the Indian Ocean region.
Can Africa benefit from the positive and ongoing socio-demographic evolution as much as South East Asia did?. China has invested heavily in Africa. It is also anticipated that China will seek greater influence in the Indian Ocean. According to an estimate, China plans to send 300 million Chinese to Africa. The reports have made the West 'very worried'.
The Chinese response to the worries of the West is that, unlike European countries, it has never attempted to colonise Africa.
However, the increased Chinese presence in Africa and the Indian Ocean region has been a cause of worry to India, Japan, South Korea Australia and the Western
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countries. Australia is now actively engaged in a dialogue with the Indian Ocean Rim states,
It has been pointed out that the Indian Ocean is witnessing the beginnings of an arms race, with China building ports that can also serve as naval bases at Gwadar in Pakistan, which is near the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and at Sitwe in Myanmar off the Bay of Bengal. China has also invested heavily in the development of the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka.
The book points out that 'alarmed by China's intentions", India has been boosting its own forces with a new fleet of French-built Scorpene stealth submarines and has a program of building three aircraft carriers.
The assessment, however, is that China's ability to project power in the Indian Ocean is highly constrained by the long distance from Chinese ports and air bases, compared to India's much shorter sea lanes of communication.
The assessment is that unlike other areas of strategic competition between India and China, such as the balance of conventional military forces, nuclear weapons or
economic power, the Indian Ocean is the one area in which India holds a clear military advantage over China. It has also been suggested that India should have an integrated maritime security and functional cooperation engagement with the African littoral states
India's 'Look East " policy, which seeks closer ties with ASEAN countries and the trilateral potential of India-Brazil-South Africa, has the potential as emerging democratic regional powers in their respective regions and continents.
Van Rooyen has pointed out that "The Indian Ocean is also Africa's ocean, and the nations of Africa need to show pro-active ownership and management of its eastern seaboard; for only then will stability, development and co-operation ensures that the benefits flow towards the continent."
African member states export minerals, metals, precious and semi-precious stones, wood products, spices , edible nuts , dried and shelled vegetables, fried and dried fruits, oil for cosmetics and toiletries and textiles to Indian Ocean Rim members, the book provides figures of export and imports by majority of the African states.
Indian sugar producers have been encouraged to set up sugar mills in the arable land in Africa that may result in a win-win situation for both Africa and India.
India also exports to Africa pharmaceutical products. India has greater scope to increase exports of pharmaceutical products which are at a lower cost than those from Western and European countries.
The countries in the Indian Ocean region have also to contend with terrorist activities, trafficking in weapons of mass destruction, drugs and fishing in territorial waters of member countries. Maritime piracy, particularly in the waters off Somalia, is another activity which has to be countered. It has been pointed out that maritime terrorism has drastically reduced after the destruction of Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.
There have been efforts to develop multilateral maritime security for the region, which comprises of 33 countries.
As Dennis Rumley points out, there is a need for education and innovation and an agenda for stronger Africa-Indian Ocean linkages, which would benefit all the Indian Ocean maritime inhabitants. That is the challenge of the 21st century.
Book Review: The Political Economy of the Indian Ocean, Edited by Dennis Rumley, Pentagon Press. Pages 322 Price Rs.995/-
The author is I. Ramamohan Rao, former Principal Information Officer of the Government of India. He can be reached on his e-mail: raoramamohan@hotmail.com.