BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

MARITIME SECURITY COOPERATION IN THE BAY OF BENGAL: A BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

Author: Mahmudul Haque Majumder

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2023v44n2a3

ABSTRACT

The Bay of Bengal, once at the heart of global history, was lost into oblivion for more than half a century. At the turn of the 21st century, it started to reemerge as a strategic theatre of competition and cooperation amidst evolving geopolitical seascape. With diverse political, economic and geostrategic interests of the littorals fueled by the presence of extra-regional powers, the Bay is today confronted with a myriad of maritime security challenges, both traditional and non-traditional. This paper argues that the concept of maritime security has transcended the boundary of the traditional notion of ‘statecentric’ or ‘sovereignty at sea’, focusing more on ‘maintaining good order at sea.’ It also recognises that the boundless sea makes it difficult for any single nation to address the wide-ranging maritime security continuum, making security cooperation the only practical option. After the historic maritime boundary delimitations with the neighbours, Bangladesh’s maritime outlook has started to take a new shape. Nonetheless, without cooperative engagements involving other littoral states, the country cannot escape burgeoning maritime security challenges. This article identifies a plethora of maritime security threats affecting all the littorals, and suggests various measures to effectively chart a way across the wide spectrum of security cooperation to address maritime security threats in the Bay of Bengal.