The Indian Ocean Rim Association: Lessons from this regional cooperation model

Abstract

ABSTRACT Regional cooperation among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean is in the interests of those states, whose economies are critically dependent on its waters and sea-lanes. The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is currently the major organisation that seeks to promote cooperation within the region, including economic, political and security dimensions. This article examines regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region within the framework of the IORA, exploring the association’s historical development and cooperation model (structure and institutions) to deduce whether cooperation is driven by geography (location), or by ideology (non-location). The article further explores whether the IORA’s cooperative framework offers lessons that can be replicated in other regional cooperation contexts. The article argues that while geographical proximity stimulates regional cooperation, ‘shared’ ideology evidently plays a more central role in encouraging nations in far distant places to form an association for various economic, political, and social functions.