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ABSTRACT
This article looks at the potential of Bangladesh in India’s maritime strategy in the Bay of Bengal, in light of the shifting focus on the emergent Indo-Pacific. It argues that India’s maritime strategy in the Bay of Bengal is a driver of its wider engagement in the emerging Indo-Pacific. Therefore, engaging Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal is strategically imperative for India. However, this requires New Delhi to deepen and expand its strategic convergences with Bangladesh and ensure that Dhaka warms up to the idea of an emergent Indo-Pacific that might even prompt geopolitical and geo-strategic competition with China.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
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7 Arun Prakash, “The India–China Confrontation: A View from Seawards,” Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs 8, no. 1 (2021): 72.
8 David Brewster, “An Indian Sphere of Influence in the Indian Ocean?” Security Challenges 6, no. 3 (2010): 1.
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12 Shubhajit Roy, “Why Modi Swearing-in Invite to BIMSTEC Leaders Sends Important Signals to India’s Neighbours,” The Indian Express, May 28, 2019, https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/modi-swearing-in-invite-bimstec-leaders-sends-important-signals-indias-neighbours-5751380/ (accessed December 3, 2021).
13 Dennis Hardy, “Repositioning the Bay of Bengal: Implications of Regional Change,” Journal of the Indian Ocean Region 15, no. 3 (2019): 270.
14 Anita Sengupta, “The Oceans as New Regions: Emerging Narratives and the Bay of Bengal,” Journal of the Indian Ocean Region 16, no. 3 (2020): 232.
15 Roy, “Why Modi Swearing-in Invite to BIMSTEC Leaders Sends Important Signals to India’s Neighbours”.
16 Ministry of External Affairs, India, “Prime Minister’s Keynote Address at Shangri La Dialogue,” June 1, 2018, https://mea.gov.in/SpeechesStatements.htm?dtl/29943/Prime_Ministers_Keynote_Address_at_Shangri_La_Dialogue_June_01_2018 (accessed April 4, 2021).
17 Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s Maritime Policy: Entwining Challenges (Abingdon: Routledge, 2019), 1.
18 B. Baskar, “Rise and Rise of Bangladesh,” Hindu Businessline, November 1, 2020 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/from-the-viewsroom/rise-and-rise-of-bangladesh/article32998043.ece (accessed December 15, 2021).
19 Tariq A. Karim, “Imagining a Bay of Bengal Economic Cooperation framework: Towards a Bay of Bengal Community,” Dhaka Courier, April 16, 2021, http://dhakacourier.com.bd/news/Global/Imagining-a-Bay-of-Bengal-Economic-Cooperation-framework:-Towards-a-Bay-of-Bengal-Community/3370 (accessed December 15, 2021).
20 Tariq A. Karim, “Bangladesh’s Role in Forging a Bay of Bengal Community,” NBR, February 18, 2020, https://www.nbr.org/publication/bangladeshs-role-in-forging-a-bay-of-bengal-community/ (accessed December 12, 2021).
21 Joyeeta Bhattacharjee, “Bangladesh: The Dilemma Over the Indo-Pacific Strategy,” November 10, 2020, https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/bangladesh-the-dilemma-over-the-indo-pacific-strategy/ (accessed December 3, 2021).
22 Kalam, Bangladesh’s Maritime Policy.
23 Mallory Shelbourne, “The QUAD Kicks Off Malabar 2020 Exercise in Bay of Bengal,” USNI, November 3, 2020, https://news.usni.org/2020/11/03/the-quad-kicks-off-malabar-2020-exercise-in-bay-of-bengal (accessed December 15, 2021).
24 Bhattacharjee, “Bangladesh: The Dilemma Over the Indo-Pacific Strategy”.
25 Harsh V. Pant, “India, Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific,” September 12, 2022, https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-bangladesh-and-the-indo-pacific/ (accessed December 1, 2022).
26 “Relations with India ‘Organic’, Says Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina,” NDTV, July 4, 2019, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/relations-with-india-organic-says-bangladesh-prime-minister-sheikh-hasina-2063723 (accessed December 11, 2021).
27 “Indian, Bangladesh Navies Begin Patrol Exercises in Bay of Bengal,” Hindustan Times, May 22, 2022, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-bangladesh-navies-begin-patrol-exercises-in-bay-of-bengal-101653224567278.html (accessed December 1, 2022).
28 Harsh V. Pant, “A Transformative Moment: India and Bangladesh, Acting Together, Can Drive South Asia’s Economic and Social Progress,” The Times of India, March 28, 2021, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/a-transformative-moment-india-and-bangladesh-acting-together-can-drive-south-asias-economic-and-social-progress/ (accessed December 21, 2021).
29 Tekendra Parmar, “China’s President Xi Jinping Makes ‘Historic Visit’ to Bangladesh,” Time, October 12, 2016, https://time.com/4530974/bangladesh-xi-jinping-visit-china/ (accessed December 21, 2021).
30 Liu Hui, “Xi Jinping’s Visit to Bangladesh of Historic Significance: Experts,” en.people.cn, October 13, 2016, http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/1013/c90000-9126474.html (accessed December 3, 2021).
31 Saurav Jha, “The Bay of Bengal Naval Arms Race,” December 30, 2016, https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/the-bay-of-bengal-naval-arms-race/ (accessed December 11, 2021).
32 Arzan Tarapore, “Building Strategic Leverage in the Indian Ocean Region,” The Washington Quarterly, 43, no. 4 (2020): 208.
33 “Navies of India, Bangladesh to Participate in Bilateral Drill from Oct 12–16,” The Economic Times, November 7, 2020, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navies-of-india-bangladesh-to-participate-in-bilateral-drill-from-oct-12-16/articleshow/71550465.cms (accessed December 3, 2021).
34 Dinkar Peri, “Bangladesh Shares Wish List of Military Hardware for Procurement from India,” September 6, 2022, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bangladesh-shares-wish-list-of-military-hardware-for-procurement-from-india/article65856825.ece (accessed November 28, 2022).
35 Ibid.
36 Rajat Pandit, “India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh to Hold Joint Military Exercise,” The Times of India, April 1, 2021, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-bhutan-sri-lanka-bangladesh-to-hold-joint-military-exercise/articleshow/81847315.cms#:~:text=India%2C%20Bhutan%2C%20Sri%20Lanka%20%26%20Bangladesh%20to%20hold%20joint%20military%20exercise,-Rajat%20Pandit%20%7C%20TNN&text=NEW%20DELHI%3A%20India%20will%20take,nation%20venture%20with%20neighbouring%20countries (accessed December 17, 2021).
37 Gulbin Sultana, “Inauguration of NSA Trilateral Secretariat: A Step Forward for Maritime Security Cooperation with Sri Lanka, and the Maldives,” The Financial Express, March 4, 2021, https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/inauguration-of-nsa-trilateral-secretariat-a-step-forward-for-maritime-security-cooperation-with-sri-lanka-and-the-maldives/2206173/ (accessed December 13, 2021).
38 Rezaul H. Laskar, “Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles to Join Regional Maritime Security Grouping,” Hindustan Times, August 9, 2021, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bangladesh-mauritius-and-seychelles-to-join-regional-maritime-security-grouping-101628503515228.html (accessed December 13, 2021).
39 Ibid.
40 K. Yhome, “Subregional Security Cooperation: An Exploratory Study of India’s Approach,” ORF, September 14, 2020, https://www.orfonline.org/research/subregional-security-cooperation-an-exploratory-study-of-indias-approach/ (accessed September 15, 2021).
41 “Indian Navy (IN) – Bangladesh Navy (BN) Bilateral Exercise Bongosagar and IN-BN Corpat,” Press Information Bureau (PIB), October 2, 2020, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1661064 (accessed December 3, 2021).
42 Karim, “Bangladesh’s Role in Forging a Bay of Bengal Community”.
43 “Relations with China to be Damaged If Bangladesh Joins Quad: Ambassador,” May 10, 2021, https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/relations-with-china-to-be-damaged-in-bangladesh-joins-quad-ambassador (accessed August 23, 2021).
44 “Bangladesh's Curt Reply as China Warns It Against Joining Quad Alliance,” NDTV, May 11, 2021, https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladeshs-curt-reply-as-china-warns-it-against-joining-us-india-japan-australia-quad-alliance-2439486 (accessed December 11, 2021).
45 Bhumitra Chakma, “The BRI and Sino-Indian Geo-Economic Competition in Bangladesh: Coping Strategy of a Small State,” Strategic Analysis, 43, no. 3 (2019): 234.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sayantan Haldar
Sayantan Haldar is a Research Scholar at the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi, India. His doctoral research focuses on India's evolving maritime security strategy in the Indian Ocean Region. Sayantan is broadly interested in questions of maritime geopolitics with specific focus on the evolving strategic and security dynamics in the Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific. He is also the Joint Secretary of the Indian Ocean Research Group Soc. (IORG).