The Nexus of Naval Modernization in India and China

Description

Naval modernization is an extremely expensive, time-consuming, and a relatively rare phenomenon. Scholars have proposed various arguments to explain this process ranging from bureaucratic
politics, to nationalism, and to the security dilemma. The Nexus of Naval Modernization in India and China demonstrates that from 1990 until 2020, the primary driver of naval modernization resulted
from a strategic rivalry. Key to strategic rivalries is perceived threat perceptions that cause decision makers to prepare for worst-case scenarios when trying to decipher their enemy's behaviour. When a state believes it is threatened by a rival's naval power it is likely to pursue its own form of naval modernization for self-protection. Importantly, rivalries do not exist in a vacuum and are frequently linked. This project will reveal how the interconnected nature of rivalries can also cause naval modernization. Through a close examination of scholarly works, government documents, and in-depth focused interviews with experts based in India, China, Australia, and the U.S. Colley argues that while strategic rivalry is
not the only driver of naval modernization, it is the most compelling explanation. Other arguments are frequently embedded
within the strategic rivalry model and thus are best seen as only partial drivers. This study contributes to the rivalry research program as well as the policy and security studies literatures.

About the author:

Christopher K. Colley is an Assistant Professor of Security Studies at the National Defence College of the United Arab Emirates. Hereceived his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University Bloomington and holds a Master's degree from Renmin University ofChina. Dr. Colley was an inaugural Wilson Centre China Fellow and has lectured on Chinese politics, foreign policy and security atnumerous universities and organizations including
Indiana University, Renmin University, China Foreign Affairs College, and theForeign Military Attaché Corps Club in Beijing. He has written extensively on Sino-Indian relations and has published numerousbook chapters, reports and articles on the subject. He lived in China for over a decade and has visited all of
China's provinces andpolitical entities multiple times

Table of contents

• Chapter 1 Introduction by Christopher K Colley
• Chapter 2 Main Themes and Competing Arguments
• Chapter 3 Theory and Argument
• Chapter 4 The Indian Case
• Chapter 5 The Chinese Case
• Chapter 6 Policy Recommendations and Conclusion
• Chapter 7 Fieldwork Information
• Chapter 8 Interviews
• Chapter 9 Index