India's Rethinking the Blue Water Concept |
India’s geopolitical vision has primarily been continental; the announcement of a brand new doctrine in the maritime domain changes that radically.
In this context, India, a shining star in the comity of nations, finds itself slowly adapting to that reality. From a historical perspective, India’s vision of power has been interpreted primarily through a continental lens, due to tense relations with her neighbors China and Pakistan on one hand and the compulsions of the bipolar world order during the Cold War.
However, the end of the Cold War slowly but surely made the Indian foreign policy elite realize the need to expand the horizons of her geopolitical vision to the seas where the geopolitical competition has intensified today.
From the point of view of commerce and trade, the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) accounts for more than 95% of India’s trade by volume and 70% by value. Apart from this, India has strong security considerations in the maritime domain.
It is in that vein that India has announced the MAHASAGAR doctrine.
The Idea
During his state visit to Mauritius in March 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the MAHASAGAR vision. The idea stands for