Presenting a Convergence Model of Maritime Security in the North Indian Ocean with Emphasis on Military and Economic Areas

Indian Ocean is a strategic, important and economic ocean in the world to the extent that it has been known as the heart of the world’s oceans and is a bridge among Southwest Asia, East, South and Southeast Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the United States. It contains a large volume of the world’s maritime traffic. Concerning the strategic location of Indian Ocean, regional and trans-regional actors have different geopolitical interests in the region, which may sometimes lead to security crises in the region. The present research benefits from practical-developmental type of design inspired by an exploratory and grounded theory methodology and mixed-method approach. The sampling method in this study was to determine the total number and the participant experts included 12. Data collection was also done through semi-structured interview and continued until theoretical saturation. Based on the results of the study, 11 concepts, 71 categories and 33 themes including 6 causal factors such as defense-security factors, geopolitical factors and economic factors, 4 contextual factors such as the necessary basis for regional independence, and the creation of a common and combined force were obtained. There was one intervening factor such as naval capability of countries, geostrategic position, economic vulnerability of countries, and conflict of interest were also attained. Six strategies such as using the capacity of convergence and solidarity, reducing the military presence of foreign actors and intervening powers and 11 consequences such as increasing the use of strategic depth of the Islamic Republic of Iran, increasing the degree of solidarity of countries in the region with the Islamic Republic of Iran, participation in the defense-security coalition, military interactions, and economic relations were emerged, leading to the development of the convergence model of maritime security in the North Indian Ocean with emphasis on military and economic areas.