Q&A
Darshana M. Baruah, Satyendra Prasad, Denghua Zhang
{
"authors": [
"Darshana M. Baruah"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Carnegie India"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie India",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Asia",
"South Asia",
"India",
"East Asia",
"China"
],
"topics": [
"Foreign Policy"
]
}
Source: Getty
Other
India as a Middle Power in the SCS Dispute
New Delhi’s stance on the South China Sea has gone through prominent changes under the leadership of Narendra Modi in line with India’s changing outlook on maritime security as a whole.
Published on Dec 1, 2016
Source: National Asian Security Studies Program
As the environment in the SCS grows increasingly hostile, managing tensions in these waters has become crucial. This essay examines India’s approach towards the South China Sea dispute and the role it can play as a middle power in the region. The paper argues that New Delhi’s stance on the issue has gone through prominent changes under the leadership of Narendra Modi in line with India’s changing outlook on maritime security as a whole. The first section examines India’s approach towards the South China Sea, underlining the changes in its policies. The second section explores the role of a middle power and New Delhi’s contribution in stabilising the situation. The conclusion briefly suggests further avenues for cooperation that would establish a constructive role for New Delhi in its relationship with Southeast Asia.
This article was originally published as a National Asian Security Studies Program Issue Brief.
About the Author
Darshana M. Baruah
Former Nonresident Scholar, South Asia Program
Darshana M. Baruah was a nonresident scholar with the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she directs the Indian Ocean Initiative.
- How Chinese Financing Shapes the Pacific
- Why Climate Change Is Especially Dire for IslandsIn The Media
Darshana M. Baruah
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Is the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal Moving From the Gold Standard to a Gilded Standard?Commentary
Congress should ask tough questions about the agreement’s more unique features and whether they advance U.S. interests or compromise them.
Jane Darby Menton
- Cameroon’s President Went Abroad for Months. His Return Brought More Questions Than Answers.Commentary
The ninety-three-year-old Biya’s absence and refusal to name a vice president threaten to upend domestic and regional stability.
Lesley Anne Warner
- As It Turns 25, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Reflects the New World OrderCommentary
With the growth in points of friction between the great powers, organizations like the SCO will continue to play a role in the strategic adaptation of the smaller powers caught between them.
Temur Umarov
- The Two Key Takeaways From Xi’s Egypt VisitCommentary
Amid celebrations of bilateral ties was a deeper focus on stability in the Middle East.
Amr Hamzawy
- Taking the Pulse: Is Canada Leading a Third Way?Commentary
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has twice inspired praise for standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump: at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. Is Carney showing a third way better than the EU has in dealing with the Trump administration?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
