Piracy Research Articles

Fueling rebellion: Maritime piracy and the duration of civil war

Extant research shows that the presence of natural resources can prolong civil wars. But research also indicates that as rebel groups become stronger, conflicts tend to shorten. These studies suggest an unclear association among the three variables—resources, rebel strength, and conflict duration. If resources increase the fighting ability of rebels, then why do they not shorten conflicts? To understand this relationship, we examine incidents of maritime piracy, which unlike other resources are more clearly exploited by rebel groups rather than states and offer new insight on how this might affect the persistence of civil war. The findings suggest that the use of piracy by weaker rebel groups shortens conflict but prolongs it when exploited by stronger rebel groups. We think our conditional analyses allow us to discern insurgencies driven at least in part by greedy rebels and therefore better illuminate the causal process by which resource wealth prolongs civil war.

Counter Maritime Terrorism: Multitrack Diplomacy

With these special issues of defense studies, the researchers placed the issue of terrorism maritime as a threat to disrupt the security and sovereignty of a country. The Southeast Asia region is inhabited by some island nations, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, the strongest sign of growth and development of maritime activities of terrorist groups. Acts of a maritime terrorist group is a form of the real threat that unwittingly compromises the security and sovereignty of a country. The targets of a maritime terrorist group are all the things associated with the sea, either infrastructure or cross-country vessels transporting goods of high economic value. Since 1998 up to 2016, the Global Terrorism Database noted an act of terror in the sea area of about 368 incidents. Indeed, the numbers are still much lower than the terrorism that makes religious figures/institutions as the target, but because of marine resources being most potential, everyone will fight over this great potential and can impart to the emergence of conflict and even war in the future. Therefore, researchers sought anticipatory measures to counter maritime terrorism solutions, especially in the Southeast Asia region. In the end, the researchers analyzed the strategy of soft power to counter maritime terrorism, precisely multi-track diplomacy, where the problem of terrorism is used as a general problem because it is not the state or government that resolves it, but all relevant stakeholders of maritime counter the terrorism.

The Pirate and the Admiral: Europeanisation and Globalisation of Maritime Conflict Management

AbstractPiracy holds a special place within the field of international law because of the universal jurisdiction that applies: any state may seize a pirate ship on the high seas and decide upon the penalties to be imposed, as is currently the case with Somali and West African pirates. Unlike today, piracy was the norm in pre-modern times. Maritime trade and piracy went hand in hand. At the same time, kings and emperors recruited their admirals from among pirates. This raises the question of how princes, states and cities distinguished between legal and illegal violence at sea. How did they deal with maritime conflict among themselves and among their respective subjects and citizens? This article puts maritime conflict management in a European, global and long term perspective while avoiding anachronistic and teleological approaches. Finally, it argues that pre-modern conflict management is relevant to understand maritime security in the twenty-first century.

Creating research impact through the productive interactions of an individual: an example from South African research on maritime piracy

Creating research impact through the productive interactions of an individual: an example from South African research on maritime piracy

The Jeddah Amendment and the Fight Against Wildlife Trafficking

African countries are either suppliers or transit points of the products involved in illicit wildlife dealings. This trade has had and continues to have serious negative impacts on society and the environment. Hence, tackling wildlife trafficking is an important, ongoing and uphill task for the continent. The Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct is the latest addition to the framework facilitating tackling the problem. Its precursor the Djibouti Code of Conduct was instrumental in rallying regional countries in addressing maritime piracy. It is hoped that its success will be replicated in handling other illicit activities occurring within the maritime zone. This article reviews relevant literature on the topic including the text of the Jeddah Amendment. For purposes of identifying how the provisions of the code can aid the fight against wildlife trafficking in Africa. Additional to pinpointing loopholes and implementation challenges that may arise. Given the scale and effects of wildlife trafficking, it is necessary to examine the possible contribution that the code will make towards addressing the problem. This may trigger further discussions as well as policy changes and ultimately enhance execution of the code.

A Study on the Marine Insurance Coverage for Marine Loss and Damage Caused by Piratical Activity

A Study on the Marine Insurance Coverage for Marine Loss and Damage Caused by Piratical Activity

ЕПОХА СЛОВ’ЯН НА БАЛТИЦІ: ЕКОНОМІЧНЕ ПІДНЕСЕННЯ СЛОВ’ЯНСЬКОГО ПОМОР’Я У РАННЬОМУ СЕРЕДНЬОВІЧЧІ

Abstract Background. The article attempts to explore the reasons of the economic rise in the Slav-inhabited Baltic Sea region, including the role of geographical factors; the impact of international trade on the economic development of the Slavic region; the role of the coastal Slavs in developing the Baltic trade routes as well as the network of river and land communications in Central and Eastern Europe. The paper mainly focuses on the participation of the Slavs in the formation of transcontinental trade routes and the development of trade between Europe and the Arab East. Purpose. To explore medieval written sources, archaeological sources and historical literature on the economic development of the Baltic Slavs; identify the main factors of their economic rise, including the establishment of cities and the development of trade. Results. The following conclusions are made in the article: the first early medieval cities in the southern Baltic were founded by the Slavs; as early as in the VII century in the Oder river basin alone there were about a hundred settlements in the lands of lutych tribes. The cities founded by the Slavs on the southwest coast of the Baltic were large trade centers such as Veligrad (ger. Mecklenburg), Volyn (ger. Yumna), Staryhrad (ger. Oldenburg), Kolobreg, Shchetin, Arkona and others. According to the German chronicler Adam Bremensky the Slavic city of Volyn located on the island at the mouth of the Oder river, was one of the largest early medieval cities in Europe and a major international trading center. The emergence of early cities was stimulated by economic development in the Baltic Slavic region, including agriculture and crafts. However, trade was the main factor in the economic rise of the Slav-inhabited Baltic sea region. The favorable geographical location contributed to the formation in its territory of a network of waterways and landways, which were branches of international trade highways. Contrary to established views of the Slavs as exclusively agricultural people, sources indicate that the main occupation of the coastal Slavs was trade. They also engaged in the maritime piracy, the centers of which were the islands of Fembra (ger. Femarn) and Ruyan (ger. Rügen). The coastal Slavic tribes were pioneers in paving the first trade routes and in developing international trade in the Baltic region. Trade activities of the coastal Slavs to a large extent ensured the establishment of trade links between different regions of Europe and the development of transcontinental trade between Europe and the Arab East. The transcontinental water and land routes passed through the lands inhabited by the Slavs (Slavonia). An important role in its development in the early Middle Ages also belongs to the Danube Slavs (the state of Samo, Great Moravia) and Rus. Key words: early Medieval Age, Baltic Slavs, obodrytes, lutyches, ruyans, international trade routes, trade with the Arab East.

What Every Girl Should Know: Margaret Sanger’s Journey by J. Albert Mann

Reviewed by: What Every Girl Should Know: Margaret Sanger’s Journey by J. Albert Mann Elizabeth Bush Mann, J. Albert What Every Girl Should Know: Margaret Sanger’s Journey. Atheneum, 2019 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5344-1932-2 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5344-1934-6 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 There’s no shortage of historical fiction revolving around plucky girls. The prospect of an arranged marriage, an aversion to domestic chores, or an aspiration to do “men’s work” drives them from home; armed with determination and blessed with luck, they variously hike up their skirts, shear off their hair, thumb their noses at patriarchy. Wars and pirate ships and newsrooms embrace them; it all seems so easy. And so it is, with protective authors securing their futures. On the other hand, in this novelization of the early years of Margaret Louise Higgins Sanger, pioneering champion of birth control and women’s reproductive rights, our plucky heroine’s future has passed into historical fact, but the mark she will make in the world is slyly never mentioned. Sanger is not regularly spotted in middle and high school curricula, where she might draw parent ire or clog up nuts and bolts sex ed with a history lesson. Nor does Mann’s book formally introduce her, and a casual reader might easily skim the subtitle without even realizing Sanger was a real person. Instead, readers are tossed directly into Margaret Higgins’ large, struggling family in late nineteenth century Corning, New York. Her mother, suffering from tuberculosis, is perpetually pregnant (narrator Margaret observes, “I’ve almost never known my mother alone in her own body”), and whatever her mother’s vision of marriage to charming, cerebral Michael Higgins might have been, Mrs. Higgins is now reconciled to running a household while coughing up blood, and birthing, losing, and nursing babies—often simultaneously. Margaret’s older sisters shine at domesticity, and although Maggie does as she’s told, she lacks their skills at housework and childcare. She prefers to spend time with her father, who encourages her to read liberal social philosophers and indulges her as a sort of sidekick on his outings. It’s all very flattering, but as Maggie ages she realizes both the fallout from her father’s enthusiasms (he loses his job and his family becomes local pariahs) and his hypocrisy. Spouting battle cries for freedom and women’s rights is fine, but he still wants to have his meals cooked and children cared for as he sits in his chair and drinks. As Maggie sees her parents with clearer eyes, she also comes to appreciate the sacrifices her older siblings make to keep the family afloat. One by one, the boys drop out of school to work in the glass factory and the girls to work as maids, even forgoing their own dreams to foot the bill for Maggie’s tuition at a private school, where she thrives until funds run out. After a brief, disappointing stint as a teacher, Maggie returns home at her father’s summoning to keep house while [End Page 195] her mother lies dying. During that critical year, 1899–1900, she is torn by sorrow for losing the mother she never fully understood, rage against her indolent father, guilt over shirking responsibility when her siblings have given so much, and the palpable need to get the heck out of Corning and make a life for herself. She leaves. And here Mann’s storytelling ends. A substantive historical note picks up the story, noting the highlights of Sanger’s career—openly crusading for family planning and disseminating information on sexual education and contraception at a time when this was not only socially unacceptable but illegal. Mann also contextualizes Sanger’s position on eugenics, noting that Sanger is often misquoted or purposely misunderstood even today by people who oppose her mission. Of course, not every reader stays around for appended notes, and it is a tribute to Mann’s narrative approach that a reader who closes the cover without learning why Margaret Sanger is historically important will have seen through Maggie Higgins’ eyes...

Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge by Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton

Reviewed by: Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge by Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton Julia A. King Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge. By Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton. ( Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2018. Pp. xiv, 205. Paper, $28.00, ISBN 978-1-4696-4052-5.) Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge is a well-illustrated study of the ship that Edward Thache, the pirate better known as Blackbeard, ran aground off the North Carolina coast in 1718. The skeletal remains of the Queen Anne's Revenge (QAR), along with tens of thousands of artifacts, were ultimately recovered and analyzed by a vast interdisciplinary research team, shedding light on the material world of piracy in the late-seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century Atlantic world. The book is organized into eight chapters, with maps, graphs, tables, and dozens of photographs, many of them of artifacts. The Queen Anne's Revenge, originally a French privateer and slaver captured near Martinique in 1717 by Thache, soon became a heavily armed pirate ship engaging in a "six-month spree" of pillage and plunder along the coast of North America (p. 3). The shipwreck yielded not only the artifacts of Thache's pirate flagship but also artifacts and snippets of Akan gold jewelry from when the ship sailed under the French flag. Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton use the artifacts to present a compelling teaser of life aboard a pirate ship, finding that "Captain Thache maintained traditional [End Page 663] hierarchal control from his cabin in the stern" (p. 160). The area of the ship that housed the officers, including Thache, yielded fancy dinnerware, coins, gold dust, and tellingly, most of the lead shot recovered from the wreck. Other findings include the extent of wear and repair of the ship's arms and armament, suggesting that the ship's gunsmiths kept busy managing stolen weapons. Preservation of the ship and its contents was extraordinary, with a wide range of materials recovered, including (to name but a few) ship's timbers and hardware, lamps, navigational equipment, weapons of all kinds, medical tools, ceramics, glass, clothing, and even remnants of cloth sails. Still, the authors argue, only with "full recovery" will the "real treasure" of the ship be finally realized by answering unspecified "broader questions" (p. 164). The authors go on to suggest that the QAR's significance lies "first and foremost" in its contributions to the conservation of materials recovered through underwater archaeology (p. 164). Archaeological conservation, especially for materials from submerged contexts, is no small (or inexpensive) undertaking. The lessons conservators can take from the QAR will no doubt be of value to the future work of shipwreck recovery. But what of the so-called broader questions? What can the recovered evidence suggest about the economic, social, and cultural significance of piracy? Answers can be partially found in the book's detailed discussions of the artifacts. Missing from the book, however, is a section or chapter synthesizing the findings of these individual discussions, relating them to the documentary evidence, and contextualizing them in the growing body of scholarship on early Atlantic piracy, such as Marcus Rediker's Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age (Boston, 2004). There are two stories at play in this book. The first is about Edward Thache, the pirate known as Blackbeard, and the things found aboard his flagship. This story brings a unique body of evidence to bear on the understanding of early modern piracy. The second story—the epic narrative of the discovery, recovery, and analysis of the three-hundred-year-old shipwreck—nearly swamps the first. No doubt this undertaking was a complex project, but its recounting is overdone. For example, the three-page table in the main body of the text that lists every participant, research topic, institutional affiliation, region, and publication date is information better suited to a bibliography. Nonetheless, the results of the project are published, which is no small achievement, and the material has been...

Coorporate States within Transnational Crime Issues for International Criminal Law Enforcement

Transnational Crime is the crime which takes place in more than one country jurisdictions, but their consequences significantly affecting other countries. Transnational crime also against more than one country domestic law, however, it need not be based in international law as such. Although, either international agreements or treaty (purely procedural) and custom can be relevant to the issues concerning jurisdiction, enforcement, due process, judicial cooperation, the serving of sentences. For example: human smuggling, sea piracy, money laundering, terrorism, trafficking in illicit arm and drug. According to the Convention on Transnational Organized Crime 2000, an offense is transnational if, firstly, it is committed in more than one state, secondly, it is committed in one state but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction, or control takes place in another state, thirdly, it is committed in one state but involves an organized criminal group that engages in criminal activities in more than one state, finally, it is committed in one state but has substantial effects in another state.

Logistic activities of ship owners related to maritime piracy in the geopolitical and legal aspect

The article discusses the activities of ship owners related to shipping on waters with sea piracy. The authors presented preventive actions and actions taken in the crisis situation of a pirate attack in the geopolitical and legal aspect. The effectiveness of these activities has been analyzed.

Prosecuting Piracy at the High Seas: the Experience of Malaysia

The development of the law on piracy under two major international treaties; the Geneva Convention, 1958 and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 has witnessed great acceptance and application of the law with many coastal states have crafted specific anti-piracy law as a manifestation of their commitments to the international treaties. However, up until today, Malaysia has yet to come out with a single and unified statute against piracy despite being a member to both treaties. The law is scattered in a different set of documents and carried out by various agencies that are responsible to each respective law. It is argued that given this is the position in Malaysia, the prosecution of piracy would be a critical problem for the law enforcement. In this paper, we address this concern by looking at both Malaysian legal framework as well as the experience of the country against international piracy, particularly the case of Bunga Laurel. The findings suggest that there are more than twenty Acts that might be used against piracy. As a sovereign state under the international law, Malaysia also has the right to resort to principles of international law for the apprehension and prosecution of high sea pirates. To this effect, the case of Bunga Laurel has really manifested the successful application of Malaysian law by the High Court of Malaya against international piracy. The paper concludes that the absence of a single anti-piracy law is not necessarily an obstacle, but instead an advantage with great choice of law available for the prosecution in this country.

Piracy and Law in the Ottoman Mediterranean, written by Joshua M. White

Piracy and Law in the Ottoman Mediterranean, written by Joshua M. White

Introduction by the Guest Editors - On-board Protection of Merchant Vessels against Piracy: Models of Regulation

The aim of this special issue is to examine and discuss a selection of national models of regulation pertaining to the use of armed guards as on-board protection. We hope to contribute to the wider discussion of maritime security and specifically to the debate on the practical solutions and legal instruments for dealing with the problem of maritime piracy (or other attacks on vessels) and to the debate on the use of force and the adequate regulation of the use of force.

ARTISANAL FISH MARKETING IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

This paper was set out to examine the problems and prospects of artisanal fish marketing in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It was observed that artisanal fish is one of the most important sources of food and income to many people, especially in the riverine areas. Artisanal fisheries is labour-intensive and conducted by artisanal craftsmen whose level of income, mechanical sophistication, quantity of production, fishing range, political influence, market outlets, employment and social mobility and financial power depends on it. Artisanal fish marketing involves all activities undertaken in conveying fish from fishermen to consumers. The paper revealed that artisanal fish marketing in Akwa Ibom State involves a lot of problems which often times hinder the objectives of the fish harvesting and marketing business. The problems include inadequate funds, sea piracy, poor post-harvest fish management, high cost / lack of transportation facilities, lack of market facilities and poor interpersonal relations skills among the fishermen. The study concluded that the problems of artisanal fish marketing if solved can result in the enhancement of level of satisfaction in the harvesting, processing and marketing of artisanal fish to meet the need of the society and provide diversified employment opportunities in fishing communities, villages and settlements. It was therefore suggested among others that, Akwa Ibom State Government in collaboration with Federal Government should provide a well-developed landing and processing sites in all the fishing settlements to ensure hygienic and protected space for processing activities as well as proper facilities at processing sites for sanitation and storage. This will help to reduce fish contamination, and prevent microbial attack of harvested fish. Article visualizations:

Illegal fishing and Australian security

ABSTRACTThe security impact of illegal fishing is not well understood. Where illegal fishing is recognised as a security problem, the focus has been on fish as a natural resource, the depletion of which can have impacts on food security, individual livelihoods, and the economic survival of states relying on illegal fishing. We argue that a focus on fish as a natural resource obscures the other security challenges the crime of illegal fishing poses to Australia. As this paper explains, illegal fishing overlaps with drug, human, weapon and other contraband trafficking and smuggling; irregular maritime arrivals; and maritime piracy. In addition, like other easily transported, high value resources, illegal fish can fund insurgencies and other types of political violence. Understanding illegal fishing as a security challenge will improve Australia’s national security policy. First, it acknowledges fish as a vital natural resource, implicated in economic, ecological, and human security; second, it analyses how illegal fishing interlinks with other maritime crimes; third, it challenges the effectiveness of monitoring and enforcement of illegal fishing; fourth, it presents an opportunity for effective regional cooperation; and finally it highlights the benefits of regional cooperation in responding to illegal fishing.

U.S. State Practice

Abstract This article summarizes U.S. State practice in the area of maritime enforcement. Focusing on the activities of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy, the article covers law enforcement for piracy and human trafficking, law enforcement for maritime terrorism and weapon trafficking, enforcement against illegal extraction of living marine resources, enforcement to protect the marine environment from pollution, enforcement to prevent accidents at sea, customs and illegal immigration enforcement, and drug trafficking enforcement. The article notes that the U.S. approach to maritime enforcement has been a “long-arm” approach ensuring enforcement of U.S. interests spanning oceanic regions.

Political Stability in West African States: Problems and Solutions. (Case Studies of Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal)

The article presents a new view on the problems of political stability in West African countries. For the first time was carried out a comparative analysis of the sustainability of the political systems of the two Francophone fastest growing countries in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The author analyzes the factors negatively influencing political stability social order, and those that reduce conflict potencial in these States. Internal and external threats to the political systems of Senegal and Сôte d’Ivoire are examined. The response of both countries to internal and external challenges is shown. The study proves that while external threats indanger Senegal’s political stability, such as the penetration of religious extremism, the crisis in Casamance, maritime piracy, drug traffic, for Côte d’Ivoire, on the contrary, main risks are internal: electoral, socio-political crises, the split of elites, arms smuggling, banditry. The study demonstrates that the level of social governance in Senegal is higher than in other West African countries, including Сôte d’Ivoire, due to the dualism of the political system: the coexistence of Western-style political institutions with local faiths (tariqas), as well as policy pursued by President M. Sall. aimed at achieving mutual compromise that ensure the peaceful settlement of conflicts and contradictions. The author concludes that a new approach to the development of a security strategy is required.

A network maritime security approach to intelligence sharing in the IOR

ABSTRACTThe Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has become an area of critical strategic interest. It is also a region that contains a range of serious and evolving non-traditional security problems, including the problem of maritime terrorism. As a result, many IOR states have called for stronger pan-regional intelligence collaboration to assist in risk mitigation against such violent and destabilizing threats. This article explores the challenges involved in establishing an effective intelligence exchange network in a region characterized by mistrust, diversity and a lack of established security priorities and protocols. Building upon the success of the IOR’s joint counter-piracy operations, it will argue that a less burdensome network-based approach is needed that can concentrate on issue-specific competencies and commonalties among states. In particular, while not without limitations, a more loosely coordinated and informal network governance approach can enhance opportunities to improve information-sharing to address common maritime security challenges, such as maritime terrorism, among IOR and extra-regional states.

Seychelles: at sea managing intelligence

ABSTRACTSeychelles faces pressure to reshape its security and intelligence structure, little changed for forty years, built to address the internal security interests of its former ruler France-Albert René. His outlook persists in diluted form under his successors. Seychelles faces new external challenges. A big risk is abuse of its position as a major off-shore financial centre. But Seychelles’ archipelagic nature gives other transnational challenges similar to other Indian Ocean island states and littoral countries like Kenya. These involve maritime security, fisheries, counter-smuggling and piracy. These are compounded by growing major power naval activity in the Indian Ocean. Much of this is adversarial placing Seychelles in a strategic cockpit in which it has few assets to deploy and deficient intelligence capability to analyse. Seychelles challenge is to evolve its intelligence capabilities when time is not in its side.