Hedging in the Western Indian Ocean: Perspectives from Small Island States

Abstract

The evolving geopolitical contestation between China, India and the United States (US) in the resource-rich and strategically significant Western Indian Ocean has steered the smaller states towards the policy option of hedging. Being home to important maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-al-Mandeb, the region has become non-negligible for the policymakers of major powers. To navigate this complex geopolitical environment, small island states such as Mauritius, Seychelles and Comoros have tried to implement the strategy of hedging that would allow them to maintain flexibility and strategic maneuvring in their international relations. The concept of hedging gained prominence in the post-Cold War era in contrast to the balancing and bandwagoning strategic approaches of the Cold War era. Hedging occurs when a smaller state simultaneously cooperates with two or more major powers while maintaining its own strategic leverage and avoiding the dominance of any one major power. Based on a qualitative research methodology, this study highlights the multifaceted strategies of the small island states of the Western Indian Ocean as they try to hedge between China, India, and the US by simultaneously engaging in economic cooperation, institutional collaboration, and strategic partnerships. Besides the multiple opportunities presented by hedging, a main challenge is to maintain the delicate balance between the multiple major powers with whom the smaller states are engaging. Once the smaller states are adept at this, they might reap multiple benefits.