Exploring Risks and Vulnerabilities: An Alternate Approach to Maritime Security Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region

Maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has become a central consideration. Shared risks and common vulnerabilities for state and non-state actors, generated by traditional and non-traditional security challenges, converge to a significant extent at sea. Risk-based approaches offer the potential for regional and extra-regional actors to engage in a constructive and non-confrontational dialogue that can assist collective security cooperation. Analyzing the evolving risk context, and assessing the risks and vulnerabilities, offers a sound basis for developing cooperative strategies for enhancing security in the maritime domain. Developing a regional strategic risk assessment, with a maritime security focus, should be a priority for IOR cooperative security entities. The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) could play significant roles in this work.