India's long-term national goal is to "turn the Indian Ocean into the Indian Ocean" (2002 Indian National Defense White Paper).

But unfortunately, this is probably just a unilateral fantasy of India. Because the position of the Indian Ocean is so important, it can be said that whoever controls the Indian Ocean will seize the throat of world maritime traffic:

The Indian Ocean is the third ocean in the world, and it is a sea bridge connecting Asia, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. The Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Latin America and Russia are the most important resource exporting places in the future.

Geopolitically, the Indian Ocean is the busiest artery of maritime traffic in the world today, the only place for the Middle East energy export line, and the main trade route for China, India and Europe. 14 of the world's goods are transported to all parts of the world through this route, and 80% of the energy needed by Asian countries passes through here.

From an economic point of view, the Indian Ocean is one of the most resource-rich regions in the world, with 70% tin, 45% chromium, 30% manganese ore, 20% copper, 70% gold, more than 85% natural rubber and 60% Persian Gulf oil reserves.

From the perspective of geo-security, the Indian Ocean is mostly surrounded by small countries, and no big power can unify it into a geopolitical entity, which is easily influenced by external forces and it is difficult to form an effective joint force to collectively deal with regional security threats.

The Indian Ocean, which has great strategic significance, has always been a battleground for military strategists. Napoleon, Peter the Great, Hitler and Roosevelt all regard the Indian Ocean as the nerve center to control the world. Mahan, the "father of sea power theory", clearly pointed out more than 100 years ago that "whoever controls the Indian Ocean will control Asia. From this perspective, the United States based on sea power is the biggest obstacle for India to realize its ideal of sea power. There is no doubt that the Indian Ocean is the core interest area of the United States in the Eastern Hemisphere. If India rises to become the dominant country in the Indian Ocean, it means that the United States will change from a global power to a western hemisphere power. If the United States is unwilling to accept this fate, it means that the United States cannot support the rise of India.

For rational Indians, the pursuit of becoming a land power is not a very realistic consideration. Expanding to the northeast, this fantasy was shattered as early as 1962 ... expanding to the northwest, er, fighting with Pakistan is completely hopeless. ...

If India tries to reach out to the five Central Asian countries, the Sino-Russian alliance will let him know why the flowers are so red ... It is China's hope to become a member, but sharing the influence of China and Russia on the five Central Asian countries is purely a dream.

Compared with neighboring countries, India's own land edge really lacks advantages, and it is difficult to achieve a breakthrough in land rights. Moreover, from the comparison of land rights and sea rights, India still has great geographical advantages in sea rights. Going further and further is obviously not the choice of a rational politician.

Generally speaking, India's current development cannot adapt to its own geographical potential. Coupled with the hatred of a rapidly rising power on the eastern edge, India's international environment is still very comfortable.