Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 05/2014

The Indian Ocean Region: A Strategic Net Assessment

Anthony H. Cordesman, Abdullah Toukan

April 2014

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Abstract

The IOR is one of the most complex regions in the world in human terms. It includes a wide variety of different races, cultures and religions. The level of political stability, the quality of governance, demographic pressures, ethnic and sectarian tensions, and the pace of economic growth create a different mix of opportunity and risk in each state. This can affect mid and long-term development, and sometimes creates near term problems in stability that can trigger internal or civil conflict.