Europeans rationalized their attempts to dominate the people they encountered in the Indian Ocean region through a variety of methods. These include economic, nationalistic/political, exploratory, and religious justifications. All, however, were simply means to cover up the exploitation of “inferior beings” who were not based in Europe. One of the main justifications for the European presence in the Indian Ocean was due to economic reasons. Highly sophisticated markets enabled the discovery of other products such as ivory, spices, textiles and precious metals. Colonialism is evident in the Indian Ocean region as Europeans exploited not only the land, but also the people following the revival of the slave trade. Since the Portuguese lacked the labor to harvest available exports, reliance on slaves was vital to achieving their economic goals. European navigators also recognized the risk, but understood the benefits of participating in the Indian Ocean trade network. The Dutch sent their first expedition in 1595, followed closely by the English. Soon after, annual excursions and the founding of the Dutch East India Company in 1602. Europeans caused much conflict and unrest in the Indian Ocean region; the initial damage against local nations was all part of a larger plot to satisfy the overwhelming greed and demands of European economies. At the political and national level, there was much competition between European nations which led to a justification for the European presence in the Indian Ocean. This translated into which nation could make the most profits while holding large geographic bases. Countries on the Indian Ocean coast were built for three......middle of paper......and the existence of the Indian Ocean trade circuit evoked a significant colonialist response. The Europeans used their comparative advantage in maritime technology and firepower to subject the Indian Ocean to witness political capture and exploitation of established territory, people and trade networks, in order to fulfill the primary objective of satisfy the needs and desires of the European economy. . Through the accumulation of gross profits, Europeans became a dominant global economic and political force. European greed and desire for wealth were defended through the justification of commercial economic benefits, political/national competitiveness, exploration, and religion. These justifications were simply intended to legitimize their barbaric and inhumane (colonialist) activities conducted in the Indian Ocean region.