“Andaman and Nicobar arc: India’s strategic anchor in the Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific”, The Sunday Guardian, January 11, 2026
“The Indo-Pacific has emerged as the defining strategic arena of the 21st century. Stretching from the eastern coast of Africa to the Pacific islands, this vast expanse is home to the world’s most dynamic economies, critical sea lanes, and intensifying geopolitical contestation. India’s geography confers both opportunity and responsibility. With a coastline of over 11,000 kilometres and island territories that overlook vital shipping routes, India sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean. Nearly 95% of India’s trade by volume including crude oil, coal, electronics, and agricultural products moves by sea, traversing these waters.
The broader global context only heightens the stakes. The global balance of power is shifting eastwards, and the extended Indian and Pacific Ocean space already accounts for around 60% of global GDP. Three of the world’s five largest economies are in Asia, and their growth has generated an insatiable appetite for energy. Lacking self-sufficiency, these economies depend heavily on imports from Russia, West Asia, and Africa, with Indian Ocean sea lanes carrying most of this cargo. Over 80% of world trade by volume moves by sea, much of it through these interconnected oceanic corridors. At the same time, more than 95% of international data traffic, the lifeblood of today’s digital economy, travels through undersea cables laid across this expanse. Any disruption of these arteries, whether energy routes or digital networks, would endanger global security and prosperity.
India’s vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific where sovereignty is respected and coercion has no place has been welcomed by partners and smaller nations alike. Initiatives such as the launch of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in 2014 have deepened India’s engagement with Pacific Island states. India has built strong strategic linkages with ASEAN countries, joined hands with likeminded powers in the Quad, and taken concrete steps to expand its presence across Asia’s maritime theatre. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which serve as the fulcrum of India’s eastern seaboard strategy……”
Read full article at sundayguardianlive.com
