GS-II: International Relations | Regional Groupings | Maritime Cooperation
GS-III: Internal Security | Maritime Security | Disaster Management
Context
- Need for regional cooperation: The Bay of Bengal, one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions, lacks a coordinated regional mechanism to respond effectively to natural disasters and emerging non-traditional security threats.
- Launch of SHANTI: On 13 July 2026, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar introduced Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity (SHANTI) while launching India’s candidature for the UN Security Council (2028–29).
- Editorial’s argument: The editorial argues that the Bay of Bengal should serve as the first region for operationalising SHANTI before expanding it across the wider Indo-Pacific.
Why the Bay of Bengal Needs SHANTI
- Disaster-prone region: The Bay frequently experiences cyclones and climate-induced disasters that require coordinated regional responses rather than isolated national efforts.
- Emerging non-traditional threats: The region faces challenges such as illegal fishing, cyber vulnerabilities, supply chain disruptions and environmental degradation, which cannot be effectively addressed through bilateral cooperation alone.
- Institutional gap: While regional capacities have improved, common norms and coordinated mechanisms for maritime governance remain inadequate.
What is SHANTI?
- Meaning: Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity (SHANTI) is India’s proposed normative framework for promoting cooperation in shared maritime spaces.
- Evolution of India’s maritime vision: SHANTI builds upon SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) by providing guiding principles for maritime governance.
- Core objective: It seeks to promote norm-based, trust-driven and integrity-oriented cooperation instead of competition or dominance in the maritime domain.
Strategic Importance of the Bay of Bengal
- Historical connectivity: The Bay of Bengal has historically connected South and Southeast Asia through trade, culture, religion and exchange of ideas.
- Gateway to Southeast Asia: It links India’s Act East Policy with ASEAN and provides access to the strategically important Malacca Strait.
- Global trade significance: The Bay connects the eastern Indian Ocean with major global trade and energy routes.
- Geopolitical importance: China’s increasing regional presence due to its “Malacca Dilemma” has intensified strategic competition, making the Bay a critical maritime theatre.
SHANTI as an Evolution of India’s Maritime Strategy
SAGAR (2015)
- Introduced India’s vision of “Security and Growth for All in the Region”, emphasising equitable maritime development and cooperation.
MAHASAGAR (2025)
- Expanded India’s maritime vision to the wider Indo-Pacific and the Global South, recognising the interconnected nature of security challenges.
SHANTI (2026)
- Provides the normative framework through norms, trust and integrity to translate earlier maritime visions into practical regional cooperation.
- Shifts the emphasis from competition to demand-driven cooperation, from influence to institution-building, and from crisis response to long-term resilience.
Why the Bay of Bengal is Ideal for SHANTI
- Shared maritime ecosystem: Cyclones, fisheries, shipping lanes, marine pollution and climate impacts naturally transcend national boundaries.
- Common regional challenges: Littoral states face similar concerns relating to disaster management, coastal erosion, fisheries governance, port resilience, protection of undersea cables and climate adaptation.
- Favourable strategic environment: Unlike the conflict-prone western Indian Ocean, the Bay offers relatively greater scope for cooperative maritime governance.
Institutional Challenges
- Fragmented regional architecture: The Bay does not suffer from a shortage of institutions but from poor coordination among existing regional mechanisms.
- Need for common principles: Existing institutions require a shared framework to align maritime security, disaster response, blue economy initiatives and environmental resilience.
Editorial’s Proposed Role for SHANTI
- Norm-based maritime governance: Establish common principles for cooperation in maritime security and regional governance.
- Trust-based regional leadership: India’s central role should be based on stewardship and consensus-building rather than regional dominance.
- Governance of shared commons: Promote collective responsibility for managing shared maritime resources and challenges.
From Principles to Practice
- BIMSTEC progress: At the July 2026 BIMSTEC National Security Advisers’ Meeting in New Delhi, member states adopted common principles for maritime law enforcement and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).
- Joint maritime exercise: BIMSTEC agreed to conduct its first joint maritime security exercise in the Bay of Bengal in November 2026.
- Information sharing: A White Shipping Information Sharing Agreement is under discussion to strengthen maritime domain awareness.
- Editorial assessment: These initiatives reflect the trust-building and norm-based cooperation envisaged under SHANTI.
Conclusion
- The editorial argues that the Bay of Bengal is India’s most suitable maritime sub-region for demonstrating the SHANTI framework in practice.
- By promoting rules-based cooperation, resilience and shared responsibility, SHANTI can transform maritime security from a narrow focus on deterrence to broader governance of the shared maritime commons.
- If successfully implemented in the Bay of Bengal, the framework could eventually shape maritime cooperation across the wider Indo-Pacific.
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Q. Discuss the significance of the SHANTI initiative in strengthening maritime governance in the Bay of Bengal. How can norm-based regional cooperation contribute to security and resilience in the Indo-Pacific?
