The South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean: Comparative perspectives on regional security, peace and cooperation, and blue economies

This seminar will bring together experts to discuss key issues that impact Brazil and India, two rising powers with growing maritime concerns. We will be discussing key issues on regional security, peacebuilding, and economic development in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.

We encourage all those interested in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions to attend.

The insights gained from this seminar will be of value to policymakers, academics, and business leaders who want to gain a better understanding of the complexities and opportunities in these regions. This will be a great opportunity for learning, discussing, and networking.

This project is led by four PhD students from King’s College London and from Escola de Guerra Naval (Brazilian Naval War College), with specialisations on: the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZOPACAS), peacebuilding, naval cooperation, piracy and other transnational crimes, international trade and nuclear non-proliferation.

About the seminar

The first panel will discuss Brazil's perspectives on peace and cooperation, maritime security, and blue economy in the South Atlantic, chaired by Dr Francesca Mercurio (ISCTE Insitituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon).

The second panel will discuss India’s perspectives on peace and cooperation, maritime security, and blue economy in the Indian Ocean, chaired by Dr Avinash Paliwal (SOAS University of London). Brazil and India are major players in their respective regions and have significant roles to play in shaping regional dynamics. This seminar will hear from experts about the present challenges and future opportunities in both regions.

The third panel, chaired by Prof Sabrina Medeiros, (Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon), will compare the two regions, highlighting similarities and differences between them, as well as possibilities for integration. This will be a fascinating discussion, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities that exist in these two regions. The comparison will also provide insights into how policymakers can learn from each other and collaborate to address common challenges.

The event is open for internal and external guests. Please be aware there a limited number of in-person spaces. Details to join the panels online will be sent to registered guests.

About the organisers

Maísa Edwards

Maísa Edwards is a final year Joint International Relations PhD student at King's College London (KCL) and the University of São Paulo (USP). Her research topic explores Brazil and the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZOPACAS) and Brazilian diplomatic and defence relations in the South Atlantic (1986 – 2013).

Maísa has presented on her PhD research both in the UK and internationally, such as in Germany, Belgium and Brazil. She is supervised at KCL by Dr. Vinicius de Carvalho and Prof. Anthony Pereira and at USP by Prof. Rafael Villa. Maísa holds an MSc Brazil in Global Perspective from KCL and a BA (Hons) French and Spanish from University College London. She has taught First and Second-Year undergraduate students, in the capacity of a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), in the Departments of International Development and War Studies at King’s College London.

Her research interests are in Brazilian defence and foreign policy, peace-building, zones of peace, maritime security, defence diplomacy and South American-African Cooperation.

 

Mauro Bonavita

Mauro Bonavita is a PhD student in International Relations at King's College London. His research topic focuses on India's maritime strategy in the Indo-Pacific and its naval diplomacy in the region. Mauro is currently a research assistant at the Global Institutes, in the School of Global Affairs, and founding member and researcher of the KCL Indo-Pacific research group.

In India he holds the position of International Visiting Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation (New Delhi), the Indian maritime think tank. He has published on several issues, magazines, and mainstream newspapers on foreign policy, and has contributed to analyse Italy-India's engagement in the Indo-Pacific. Mauro holds a bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Genoa (Italy), and a MSc in Geopolitics and Strategic Studies from University Carlos III of Madrid (Spain).

He has taught First- and Second-Years Undergraduate Students, in the capacity of a Graduate Teaching Assistant, in the Department of War Studies, the Department of Political Economy, and the European and International Studies Department, at King's College London. He has also taught seminars on European's maritime presence in the Indian Ocean region to interns at the National Maritime Foundation. His academic interests include maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, EU-UK maritime engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and great powers competition.

 

João Noritomi

João R. Noritomi is a PhD student in Maritime Security at King’s College London and a Brazilian Navy Officer, currently holding the rank of Commander. He holds a MA in Naval Sciences from the Escola de Guerra Naval (Brazilian Naval War College). His research at Master’s level focused on the relationship between natural resources wealth and the occurrence of internal conflicts in West Africa, analysing the militancy in the Niger Delta.

As a Naval Aviator, Commander Noritomi served from 2011 to 2018 as a flight instructor and from 2020 to 2021 as a flight safety analyst. CDR Noritomi is a member of KCL’s Latin American Security Research Group and South Atlantic and Indian Ocean Research Group and is currently researching the impact of international naval intervention on piracy in Africa, specifically around the Horn of Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea.

His interests as a researcher on Maritime Security includes piracy and armed robbery against ships; illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing; and jurisdictional waters monitoring & control.

 

Diogo Viana Grion Velasco

Diogo Viana Grion Velasco is a PhD student in Maritime Studies at the Escola de Guerra Naval (Brazilian Naval War College), has a Master's degree in Analysis and Management of International Policies and a degree in International Relations from the Institute of International Relations of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio ).

From 2017 to 2019, he worked as a researcher at the BRICS Policy Centre (PUC-Rio) and at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in the Human Rights and Business Group. From August 2019 until December 2022 he worked as a consultant on the project "Visualizing and improving value chains in the Amazon", which was developed by the Federal University of Amazonas in partnership with the University of Leeds and supported by FAPEAM and the Newton Fund.

He is also a member of the research group on the economy of the sea (GEM). He has a special interest in the areas of International Trade, Development Cooperation and International Political Economy in the themes of Blue Economy, Ocean Economy, Energy, Defence Economy, Ocean Governance and Sustainable Development.