Editorial:

The Indian Ocean has always been, and will remain, on the strategic radar of great powers. Given its strategic location with abundant oil, mineral resources and fisheries, and being a hub of vast seaborne global trade and oil routes, it has turned out to be an arena of geopolitical rivalry among world powers and regional...

Life came from the ocean. Without the ocean, life on Earth is not possible. The ocean produces and regulates much of the planet’s oxygen and water, provides substantial amounts of its nutrient and carbon cycling and supports most of its biological diversity. Fish feed over 3 billion humans, supplying 20% of their animal protein intake...

While Indonesia under Jokowi can be expected to continue to take unilateral action to reinforce the Indonesian position around the Natuna Islands, Jokowi has not played an active diplomatic role on the broader South China Sea issue. In the longer term, Indonesia is better off investing in diplomatic leadership. Key findings:

All peoples around the world have stories that honour the waters that surround coastlines, flow over lands and pool in valleys. Indigenous peoples do too. This Māori prayer above inspires a call for governments to ‘rise up’ to legislate for the values, rights and interests of Indigenous peoples to once again enable caring for waters...