India and the multilateral initiatives for securing maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region

The arena of international relations, is in a large measure, all about convergence of interests between the nations and dealing with antagonistic powers by building alliances. India has remained committed to the philosophy of non-alignment trying to balance her relationships with different powers at different periods of history. India is a naval power of great significance in the Indian Ocean region. However, she has to rely on international alliances in order to further her own economic and security interests in the region. The rise of communist China as a counterweight to USA coupled with her growing aggressive military and economic postures in the Indian Ocean region forced India to take a relook at its foreign policy. India has therefore joined a number of international initiatives for pursuing her economic and security interests. Some of these initiatives are The Quadrilateral security dialogue, Indian Ocean Rim Association, Exercise Malabar etc. This paper would take a look at some of these important economic and security initiatives in the context of changing dynamics of international relations.