Skip to main content

Securing Southeast Asia’s Sea Lanes: A Work in Progress

By  Ian Storey

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This article assesses the impact and effectiveness of regional and national initiatives to improve sea lane security in Southeast Asia.

Main Arguments

  • Though piracy and sea robbery have always posed a threat to international trade, since September 11, 2001, the specter of maritime terrorism has refocused attention on the problem of maritime crime. Despite a recent drop in pirate attacks, violence at sea remains a problem in Southeast Asia, where a number of political, geographic, and economic factors make the region’s seas a particularly opportune space for sea-borne criminals.
  • Cooperative efforts to address maritime violence in the region have met with real but qualified success. Though competing priorities and sovereignty concerns have inhibited the full participation of regional states in cooperative security programs, the perceived threat of unilateral involvement by the United States has served as a catalyst for improved cooperation among states in the region. These cooperative efforts in turn have led to a decline in incidents of maritime crime. Significant weaknesses, however, remain in the approaches of regional states.

Policy Implications

External powers—the U.S., Japan, China, and India—could play an important role in further improving security in the region’s seas by taking the following steps:
  • By better coordinating outreach efforts, external powers could improve the communication, surveillance, and interdiction capabilities of regional states’ navies and maritime law enforcement agencies.
  • External powers could improve maritime security in Southeast Asia by helping governments address the root causes of maritime violence—specifically through the improvement of governance capabilities and the promotion of economic growth. States in the region could also take a number of steps to improve security:
  • Increase levels of cooperation among littoral states’ security forces, especially in the triborder sea area, as well as conduct more frequent and joint patrols in problematic areas.
  • Most importantly, regional states could implement long-term programs to address the deep political and socio-economic problems of which piracy and sea robbery are only symptoms.
Source:The National Bureau of Asian Research

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brexit: A lesson for Malaysians

Yesterday, Britons through a referendum made a decision to leave European Union. The ruling Conservative Party divided on this referendum and David Cameron in favour of ‘Remain’ was defeated outright. Even though he is disagreed with the decision of Britons, he announced that he is resigning from his premiership in respect of people’s decision. We can expect in a mature democracy country like United Kingdom this is vastly anticipated to be transpired.   A few days ago, the current Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption of Commission made a statement that he is stepping down from his position and there are some rumours indicating that a few prominent officers from the said Commission will either resign or retire. It’s very eccentric news for Malaysians as it will have a profound impact on bribery and corruption issues in Malaysia as a whole. Recently, the results of two by elections were won by Barisan Nasional, the ruling party of Malaysia. Many promises had been...
Post a Comment
Read more

Constitution of Malaysia: An Introduction Part 5

7 (1) No person shall be punished for an act or omission which was not punishable by law when it was done or made, and no person shall suffer greater punishment for an offence than was prescribed by law at the time it was committed. (2) A person who has been acquitted or convicted of an offence shall not be tried again for the same offence except where the conviction or acquittal has been quashed and a retrial ordered by a court superior to that by which he was acquitted or convicted.
Post a Comment
Read more

Trump's role in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire

As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, scheduled to commence on Jan 19, 2025, approaches, it is essential to examine the potential impact of president-elect Donald Trump on this event and Middle East security. Considering Trump’s past foreign policy actions, especially those concerning Israel, alongside the wider geopolitical environment, his prospective role in shaping the ceasefire and future peace initiatives is intricate and layered. Historical influence Trump’s initial term as president was characterised by a robust endorsement of Israel, a position that resonated with his domestic political supporters and simultaneously altered US foreign policy, thereby impacting the wider dynamics of the Middle East. Key actions during this period included the formal acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the transfer of the US embassy to that city, and the withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. These measures solidified his rapport with Israeli leadership and exemplified his ...
Post a Comment
Read more