Undersea cables underpin global communication and the digital economy, with between 95-99% of data for international banking, e-commerce, video calls, and intelligence sharing travelling via these largely hidden transoceanic routes.

Countries in the Indo-Pacific have expanded their missile inventories, heightening security dilemmas and increasing the risk of nuclear escalation. In a new report, Carnegie Nuclear Policy Program senior fellow Ankit Panda assesses how the U.S. and its allies might mitigate these threats.

Islands have always played critical roles for great powers jostling for influence on the world stage. Small island nations in the Indo-Pacific are no different. Today, China, the United States, and other regional powers have jockeyed for favor from these island states in the Indian Ocean region. Yet often lost in the shuffle of great power politics are the interests of the island nations themselves.

The Indian Ocean's numerous choke points make it a strategically vital region in international politics and trade. As oil tankers and other cargo ships pass through the vast theater, whoever controls these choke points may very well control the flows of global commerce.

With Russia and China ramping up their activities in the Indian Ocean region, the United States will need to rethink its own strategy in the theater. Darshana Baruah explains why the Indian Ocean is so important and who the power players are in the region.

With China’s near-permanent presence in the Indian Ocean likely in this decade, and the growing rivalry with America, India has no choice but to proactively try to shape the future of the Indian Ocean in its favor.

The CSCAP Regional Security Outlook brings together expert analysis on critical security issues facing the region and points to policy-relevant alternatives to advance multilateral regional security cooperation. Vijay Gokhale writes on India and the Indo-Pacific on page 20 of this volume.