The book considers the security of the Indian Ocean region in the context of the Indian Ocean Zone of Peace (IOZP) proposal. The discussion shows that this proposal has occasioned a controversy wherein the perceptions of extraregional and regional powers are widely different. While analysing these differing perceptions in conceptual and historical contexts the central theme remains a comprehension of the underlying spirit of the peace zone concept and its evolution over the years.
In the conceptual context IOZP demonstrates an autonomy aspiration of the nonaligned littoral/hinterland states, who seek development through collective self-reliance and non-military defence (NMD). Again, from the global perspective, the proposal may appear to be one of the approaches to demilitarization through zoning. As these themes are developed in the conceptual framework emphasis is placed on the idea of a positive zone of peace, as against the negative zone of peace.