The Indian Ocean and the Asia Chessboard

This week, Mike is joined by Darshana Baruah, associate fellow with
the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, to discuss the strategic significance of the
Indian Ocean to the United States and our allies and partners in
the region. Darshana provides historical context for the new focus
on the Indo-Pacific, and dives into the politics of the Indian
Ocean region. Mike and Darshana also tackle the rise of Chinese
influence and how the Indian Ocean fits in with U.S.-China
strategic competition. Overall, the two agree that there needs to
be more focus in the United States on building a presence in the
Indian Ocean, and in dealing with the Indian Ocean as a whole,
rather than dividing it into geographical silos.