South East Asia and Oceania

About Centre

The South East Asia and Oceania Centre focuses on policy-relevant research with respect to the ten ASEAN states, East Timor and Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand. The Centre studies India’s bilateral and multilateral relations with states of the region with a view to providing contemporary relevance to India’s Look East policy. It has a futuristic-looking approach and examines the emerging trends in the regional security architecture. The Centre studies the potential for India’s enhanced defence cooperation (including maritime issues) and cooperation in non-traditional security issues with the region. It examines internal developments of countries in this region, especially political transitions and the role of the military, and their implications for India. The Centre seeks to promote Track-II institutional linkages with the region. Southeast Asia & Oceania Centre brings out a monthly newsletter – Insight Southeast Asia.

Rohingya Crisis Needs a Regional Solution

The Rohingya crisis is not just Myanmar’s domestic problem but a regional issue and it needs to be tackled at the regional level in a more comprehensive way.

Sampa Kundu
September 08, 2017
IDSA Comments

India must step up diplomatic efforts on the Rohingya issue

The success of India's diplomacy will lie in the extent to which it can induce Naypyitaw to take a long view in the interests of its own political stability, internal security and social harmony.

Gautam Sen
August 16, 2017
IDSA Comments

BIMSTEC at 20: Hopes and Apprehensions

BIMSTEC needs to build on regional synergies and work towards utilising the available resources optimally by focusing on fewer priority areas and undertaking projects that are economically feasible.

Sampa Kundu
June 20, 2017
IDSA Comments

The 2017 By-elections in Myanmar: A Warning Signal for Suu Kyi?

The result of the by-election clearly indicates the need for the NLD government to speedily engender trust among the ethnic minorities. A successful peace process and peace negotiations can be one aspect of it.

Sampa Kundu
April 05, 2017
IDSA Comments

Visit of Myanmar President Upgrades Bilateral Ties

The message President Kyaw took back from New Delhi is that India stands ready to support Myanmar in every possible way on its march to security, reconciliation and prosperity.

Ashok Sajjanhar
September 02, 2016
IDSA Comments

Building Frigates for The Philippines Navy

India should ensure that the deal does not slip away because of GRSE’s perceived financial inability, which may not actually be the case.

Why are Southeast Asians lured to fight for the Islamic State?

If the experience of the Afghan–trained mujahids is anything to go by, the threat posed by returnees from Syria and Iraq has the potential to be far more lethal especially since the numbers involved are much higher.

Indonesian Military’s Role Enlargement in Counter-Terrorism

While the Indonesian military played a crucial role in counter-terrorism since the late 1940s, the fall of Suharto in 1998 and democratisation led to the Police dominating this task, especially after the first Bali bombings in 2002. Lately, however, the Indonesian military has reclaimed part of this role, mainly due to the rising threat from the Islamic State.

The Rohingyas: Security Implications for ASEAN and Beyond

In the last two months, the large-scale exodus of Rohingyas towards the coastlines of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia has been a concern not only for the region but also for the international community.

Sampa Kundu
May 29, 2015
Issue Brief

Is the Ceasefire Agreement in Myanmar a Step Towards Political Accommodation?

It may be an over-optimistic assessment to expect the present Thein Sein regime to achieve a substantive and comprehensive political accord in the run-up to the elections.