About the Book and Editors
The Indian Ocean in Global Politics
edited by Larry W. Bowman and Ian Clark
This up-to-date analysis of the major political issues associated with the Indian Ocean region examines recent developments in South Asia, the Gulf, and Africa and their effect on Indian Ocean security matters and politics. Regional perspectives on the problems of the area are assessed, as are the roles played by the major external powers with regional interests-the United States, the Soviet Union, and France-and such international organizations as the United Nations.
Nine of the chapters grew out of the International Conference on Indian Ocean Studies held in Perth, Australia, in August 1979. Three additional chapters were commissioned to ensure a comprehensive view of the issues discussed. This collaboration by recognized authorities is sure to become a standard reference in the field.
Dr. Bowman is associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut; he has written widely on Western policy in the southern Africa and Indian Ocean regions and is editor of Westviews series entitled Nations of Contemporary Africa. Dr. Clark, lecturer in politics at the University of Western Australia, is coauthor of The Politics of Intrusion: The Super Powers and the Indian Ocean (1979).
First published 1981 by Westview Press
Published 2019 by Routledge
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-18298
ISBN 13: 978-0-367-29304-8 (hbk)
This book has its origins in the International Conference on Indian Ocean Studies (ICIOS) held in Perth, Australia, from August 15 to 22,1979. Almost 250 people from around the world gathered for this conference, which was primarily sponsored by UNESCO and the state government of Western Australia. UNESCOs interest in ICIOS grew out of a 1974 meeting in Mauritius at which a UNESCO-sponsored group of experts called for the development of interregional and international study of the Indian Ocean. The state government supported ICIOS as part of its yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Western Australia. The conference was organized and hosted by the three institutions of higher education in the Perth area: Murdoch University, the Western Australian Institute of Technology, and the University of Western Australia.
Seven sections composed the agenda of the conference: environment and resources, trade and development, the history of commercial exchange and maritime transport, cultural exchanges and influences, comparative education, archives and resources for study, and international politics. Dr. Ian Clark, lecturer in politics at the University of Western Australia, became the secretary for the international politics section. Although he did not know it at the time, the work he was to do from mid 1978 onward as he organized the section was to lay the groundwork for the present volume.
At the conference itself, sixteen papers were given in the international politics section. During the eight days of the conference, each paper was presented in a formal session, critiqued, and discussed within the section. This was a rich and stimulating experience in itself and provided the basis on which the decision was made to move forward to publication.
At the end of the conference the two editors selected nine of the papers for inclusion in this volume. They also invited three active members of the section-Jean-Pierre Gomane, Geoffrey Jukes, and Philip Towle-to prepare new papers that would fill in gaps in the overall coverage of Indian Ocean international issues. Prior to leaving Perth, the twelve authors committed themselves to the book. Following the conference, the papers were either newly written or revised in light of conference comments. In Connecticut, Larry W. Bowman did the overall editing and preparing of the manuscript for publication.
On the last day of the conference, the delegates passed a series of resolutions. They noted that the ICIOS meeting had represented an important and unique opportunity for the peoples of the Indian Ocean littoral and island states to jointly discuss and share their cultures, economic plans and goals, environmental concerns, history, current problems, and future aspirations. The participants pledged to work to keep alive the idea of international Indian Ocean studies and urged that a second ICIOS be held within five years of the Perth meeting. It was also urged that every effort be made to publish the results of the conference in permanent form. Seen in this light, the willingness of Westview Press to publish the work of the international politics section is particularly appreciated.
Several people, organizations, and institutions have been very helpful in bringing this overall project to fruition. In Perth, Mrs. J. Cook and Mrs. P. Carruthers of the Department of Politics at the University of Western Australia (UWA) did typing for Dr. Clark. The assistance of the staffs of both the Department of Politics and the Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies at UWA were instrumental in providing the institutional support for the entire ICIOS effort.
In the United States, the University of Connecticut Research Foundation and in particular the director of the Research Foundation, Hugh Clark, made an early financial commitment to help assist Bowmans trip to Perth. Further assistance to Bowman was provided by the American Universities Field Staff based in Hanover, New Hampshire; the associate director of the Field Staff, John M. Thompson, was especially helpful.
Once the manuscript began to take shape, the University of Connecticut Research Foundation was again most helpful by supporting the preparation of the final manuscript, and Pam Hodge of West Willington, Connecticut, deserves special thanks for her prompt typing of the entire manuscript as the chapters came in from the far corners of the globe. Ray Blanchette of the University of Connecticut publications staff prepared a new map for the book. Finally, the entire project would never have taken shape so promptly without the early support and commitment provided by Lynne C. Rienner, associate publisher at Westview. For her enthusiasm, patience, and trust, we are most grateful.
Larry W. Bowman
Ian Clark
