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The Indian Ocean: Its Political, Economic, and Military Importance
The papers reproduced in this volume were discussed at a conference held in Washington on March 18 and 19, 1971, under the auspices of the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University. The theme of the conference was the Indian Ocean, and from the initial planning stages it became obvious that little information was yet available on this vast region.
Less than a handful of books have attempted to embrace the whole of the sea, and none sets out to treat the Ocean as an area of global strategic importance. Neither have there been any substantial reports that sought to evaluate the two important changes that have occurred in the last five years-the gradual withdrawal of the British Navy from an Ocean that was once regarded as its exclusive preserve and the growing presence of a new naval power, that of the Soviet Union. The conference organizers, therefore, cast their net far and wide and gathered in Washington experts from eleven countries and four continents to discuss the affect of these changes on the interest of both the littoral states and those of the great powers.
The conference sessions produced lively and stimulating debate. The many questions asked by the 300 people who attended highlighted noticeable differences of opinion and interpretation. It was, therefore, the invidious task of the editors later to sift through over 500 pages of transcript in an effort to produce a report that was both short and readable, while still reflecting the diversity of the discussions. This report was published by the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in fall 1971 and produced much interesting comment both in the United States and elsewhere. Indeed, three of the principal participants in the conference gave testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs during its hearings on the Indian Ocean in summer 1971.
It should be noted that neither at the conference it self nor in the editing of this volume has any reference been made to, or any information drawn from, classified government sources. Neither are any of the views expressed to be attributed to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The editors would finally like to thank everyone who attended the conference, whether as chairman, panelist, or member of the audience, for without them the lively and stimulating debate would not have existed.
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