Samudra Manthan : Sino-Indian rivalry in the Indo-Pacific /
C. Raja Mohan
- New Delhi : Oxford University Press, 2013.
- xii, 329 pages : map ; 24 cm
Rising China and emerging India are becoming major maritime powers. As they build large navies to secure their growing interests, both nations are roiling the waters of the Indo-Pacific -- the vast littoral stretching from Africa to Australasia. Invoking a tale from Hindu mythology -- Samudra Manthan, or, to churn the ocean -- the author tells the story of a Sino-Indian rivalry spilling over from the Great Himalayas into the Indian and Pacific Oceans. He examines the prospects of mitigating the tensions and constructing a stable Indo-Pacific order. America, the dominant power in the area, is being drawn into the unfolding Sino-Indian competition. Despite the huge differences in the current naval capabilities of China, India, and the United States, the author argues that the three countries are locked in a triangular struggle destined to mold the future Indo-Pacific.
Introduction -- The structure of the rivalry -- In search of sea power -- Tacking to the blue waters -- Maritime nuclear power -- India's Pacific ambitions -- China eyes the Indian Ocean -- Circling the strategic islands -- Contesting the littoral -- Mitigating the security dilemma -- Ordering the Indo-Pacific -- Samudra manthan.