Asian Maritime Power in the 21st Century: Strategic Transactions China, India and Southeast Asia

Acknowledgements

vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It฀ has฀ indeed฀ been฀ a฀ long฀ voyage฀ sailing฀ through฀ the฀ Indian฀ and฀ the฀ Pacific฀Ocean฀transiting฀through฀the฀Straits฀of฀Malacca฀and฀attempting฀to฀ ฀ determine฀the฀maritime฀power฀of฀India฀and฀China฀in฀the฀21st฀century฀and฀ its฀impact฀on฀Southeast฀Asian฀security.฀In฀endeavouring฀to฀venture฀into฀these฀ relatively฀dangerous฀waters฀through฀which฀I฀had฀sailed฀several฀times฀during฀ my฀naval฀service,฀I฀drew฀enormous฀strength฀from฀a฀number฀of฀individuals฀ who฀constantly฀supported฀me฀to฀complete฀this฀study.฀It฀is฀impossible฀to฀list฀ them฀all฀here฀due฀to฀constraints฀of฀space.฀In฀particular,฀I฀must฀acknowledge฀ my฀thanks฀to฀the฀following: Ambassador฀K.฀Kesavapany,฀Director,฀Institute฀of฀Southeast฀Asian฀Studies฀ (ISEAS),฀Singapore,฀for฀giving฀me฀the฀opportunity฀to฀undertake฀research฀and฀ also฀publish฀the฀volume.฀The฀two-year฀fellowship฀was฀indeed฀very฀inspiring฀ and฀a฀rewarding฀experience. Dr฀W.฀Lawrence฀S.฀Prabhakar,฀Associate฀Professor,฀Department฀of฀Political฀ Science,฀Madras฀Christian฀College,฀Chennai,฀India฀for฀sharing฀his฀perspectives฀ on฀matters฀maritime฀and฀also฀diligently฀going฀through฀the฀manuscript. Mr฀ Daljit฀ Singh,฀Visiting฀ Senior฀ Research฀ Fellow,฀ ISEAS,฀ who฀ was฀ a฀ constant฀source฀of฀encouragement฀and฀who฀very฀painstakingly฀went฀through฀ the฀manuscript. My฀wife฀Sangeeta฀and฀daughters฀Neha฀and฀Nayan฀for฀being฀supportive฀ while฀I฀finished฀my฀research฀in฀Singapore. I฀must฀also฀acknowledge฀that฀a฀large฀number฀of฀senior฀naval฀officers฀in฀ India฀gave฀me฀their฀valuable฀time฀to฀discuss฀matters฀maritime. Last฀but฀not฀least,฀I฀record฀my฀gratitude฀to฀my฀uncle฀Shri฀Satyapal฀Sakhuja,฀ who฀very฀early฀during฀my฀formative฀years฀brought฀home฀the฀importance฀of฀ the฀seas฀and฀navies.฀Without฀his฀inspiration฀and฀guidance฀throughout฀my฀ childhood฀and฀naval฀career,฀this฀study฀could฀never฀have฀achieved฀fruition฀ and฀maturity. Vijay฀Sakhuja 2010 00AsianTime.indd฀฀฀7 12/30/10฀฀฀10:20:33฀AM 00AsianTime.indd฀฀฀8 12/30/10฀฀฀10:20:33฀AM ...