Counter Terrorism and Maritime Cooperation between India and GCC

Abstract

Counter-terrorism and maritime cooperation between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have become a defining element of the evolving security architecture across the Indian Ocean Region. Rising threats such as terrorism, radicalization flows, narcotics trafficking, maritime piracy, illicit financial networks, and cyber vulnerabilities have made India and GCC states increasingly interdependent in safeguarding their shared maritime environment. Applying the Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT), this article argues that India and GCC states form an overlapping maritime security complex shaped by structural interdependence across energy routes, diaspora linkages, and shared vulnerabilities emanating from transnational security threats. RSCT posits that geographically proximate states develop interconnected security concerns, influenced by patterns of amity, rivalry, and regional threat perceptions. This analytical lens provides a holistic approach for understanding why India–GCC security cooperation has expanded beyond trade and labor ties into strategic maritime and counter-terrorism collaboration. This study examines historical foundations of India–GCC relations, the evolution of counter-terrorism mechanisms, intelligence-sharing arrangements, financial monitoring frameworks, anti-radicalization programs, and joint maritime policing structures. It evaluates major naval exercises, white-shipping agreements, port security protocols, maritime domain awareness (MDA) mechanisms, and anti-piracy missions to assess how India and GCC states collectively respond to regional insecurity. The article also analyzes how external powers such as the United States and China shape regional dynamics, while maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Aden intensify the need for deeper India–GCC cooperation. The findings demonstrate that India and the GCC are increasingly converging into a maritime super-complex driven by energy interdependence, operational complementarity, and the need for coordinated responses to hybrid and transnational threats. The study concludes that sustained maritime and counter-terrorism collaboration is essential for long-term regional stability.

Keywords: Maritime Security, Counter-terrorism, Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT), Indian Ocean Region, Energy Interdependence