Hostis humani generis: Pirates and global maritime commerce

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Maritime piracy is a pressing global economic and security challenge, posing significant threats to international shipping and global trade. Contemporary piracy is intrinsically linked to matters of governance and economic marginalization fostered by the globalization of the world economy. The first and second order costs of piracy are not inconsequential. It is estimated that they cost the global economic community about $18 billion a year. Indeed, during their peak the Somali pirates clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of global maritime commerce to aggressive and effective pirate attacks. Using data from the International Maritime Bureau, this paper aspires to provide an understanding of important trends in contemporary maritime piracy, shedding light on the core issues that enable their persistent geographic reach and permanency on the global security landscape. The results indicate that maritime piracy is a global problem but is spatially concentrated in five regions. Geography, political instability, a lack of capacity, and economic marginalization creates conditions conducive to piracy, together with factors such as corruption and poor regional cooperation. The overarching problem is one of governance. First, ineffective governance on land is a primary reason for piracy at sea. Second, the international legal structure provided by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is inadequate and does not provide the necessary framework to control piracy in international space or territorial waters. Ultimately, this paper contributes to the academic discourse on maritime piracy by providing a holistic analysis of contemporary trends using Indonesia and Nigeria as case studies thus offering insights into common underlying drivers and dynamics. Finally, international maritime patrols and regional security efforts appear to have reduced the effectiveness of pirates during the past few years, however, these efforts do little to reduce factors of economic marginalization, societal fragmentation, and political instability on land that enable maritime piracy at sea.