The impact of the militarization of the Indian Ocean on the future of the non-aligned movement

The present research is designed to examine the impact of the militarization of the Indian Ocean to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM}.The Indian Ocean is militarized by the super powers (US and USSR), middle powers like France and Great Britain, and regional powers like India, South Africa and Australia. This study will concentrate on the militarization of the Indian Ocean by non-regional states. The study is divided into five chapters: The first chapter deals with the theoretical framework of the dissertation, The issues discussed in this chapter are the following: background to the problem, here it introduces the NAM and its quest for the demilitarization of the Indian Ocean. Then it goes on to explicate the practical significance of the study in comprehending the militarization of Indian Ocean as well as the scholarly value of the research work.The third section demonstrates the methodology for the field work and to the scope of inquiry. Chapter two presents an overview of the Indian Ocean and its countries. It discusses the military logistics of these countries and the importance of the Indian Ocean to the littoral states.Chapter three covers the question of power politics in the Indian Ocean region. Here the discussion goes into the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean. Chapter four gives the historical development of the NAM and the demand of the NAM to have the United Nations declare the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace (IOZP}. This chapter is closed by the prospects for creating the IOZP. Finally chapter five gives the research findings including the analysis of such findings with special referene to the integrity of the NAM; it examines if there is any departure from the spirit of Non-Alignment or any strength towards it. This chapter ends up by giving the recommendations of the researcher in relation to the discussed issues.