Episode 119: Offshore Balancing & the Indian Ocean

What is real, and what is a mirage?  Can something be a cost effective strategic option, or a fool's errand?

As outlined by our guests in their latest work in the periodical, Asian Security; An Ocean Too Far: Offshore Balancing in the Indian Ocean; the United States is beset by war weariness after over a decade of war and a half century plus of global commitments. We find ourselves with a stagnant economy, and skyrocketing defense procurement costs. It is seductive to think of retiring from continental Eurasia, but if history calls us back - returning in times of systemic conflict would be problematic – even in the relatively accessible rimlands of Western Europe and East Asia.

In a part of the world with the planet's largest democracy - offshore balancing is close to impossible in the Indian Ocean.

As it turns out, offshore balancing in the Indian Ocean may be no balancing at all.

Our guest for the full hour to discuss their article will be U.S. Naval War College Associate Professors James R. Holmes & Toshi Yoshihara.