Samudra Manthan

Rising China and emerging India are becoming major maritime powers. As they build large navies to secure their growing interests, both nations are churning the waters of the Indo-Pacific _the vast littoral stretching from Africa to Australasia. Invoking a tale from Indian mythology, Samudra Manthan("to churn an ocean"), C. Raja Mohan tells the story of a Sino-Indian rivalry spilling over from the Himalayas into the Indian and Pacific Oceans. He examines the prospects for mitigating their competition in this arena. The United States also gets involved, as it attempts to expand its presence and influence in this strategically important region. Despite the huge differences in the current naval capabilities of China, India, and the United States, Mohan argues, the three countries are locked in a triangular dynamic destined to shape the strategic future of the Indo-Pacific. Samudra Manthanmakes sense of that dynamic. Contents1. Introduction2. The Structure of the Rivalry3. In Search of Sea Power4. Taking to the Blue Waters5. Maritime Nuclear Power6. India's Pacific Ambitions7. China Eyes the Indian Ocean8. Circling the Strategic Islands9. Contesting the Littoral10. Mitigating the Security Dilemma11. Ordering the Indo-Pacific12. Samudra Manthan

C. Raja Mohan heads the strategic studies program at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi and is a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is a columnist on foreign affairs for Indian Express and is a visiting research professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. He has published widely on South Asian security issues.