Page 63 - K M PANNIKAR and The Growth of a Maritime Consciousness in India

GEOECONOMICS IMPERATIVE OF INDO-PACIFIC
The Conflux of Trade and Connectivity
Throughout history, the maritime domain has been a crucial space in
establishing new and emerging powers shaping regional dynamics. After
the end of the Cold War, the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a single
strategic construct linking the contiguous waters of the western Pacific and
the Indian Ocean represented the new strategic reality of the twenty-first
century. The opening up of economies, growing seaborne trade, the seamless
connectivity in the maritime domain envisaged the shift in the geopolitical
centre of gravity to geoeconomics of this region. The region’s importance as
the natural hub of trade and connectivity was highly emphasized by K. M.
Panikkar in his works. He elucidated the centrality of this region to the world
economy. As the maritime domain has a significant position in trade, economic
integrationbecame the key focus. In the Post-cold war, the strategic flux in
the Indo-Pacific combined with the underwhelming effects of multilateral
or bilateral ties created an opportunity for maritime trade and connectivity
to burgeon.

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