Understanding Maritime Security

A concise introduction to the history and evolution of security at sea. Whether it is pirates, smugglers, illicit fishing, or disputes in the South China Sea, the oceans are of increasing importance in international security. In Understanding Maritime Security, Christian Bueger and Timothy Edmunds provide a concise introduction to the history of security at sea and explain the core frameworks of analysis that professionals use to understand and tackle challenges to maritime order. They discuss key issues within the maritime security agenda, including inter-state disputes, terrorism, piracy, smuggling, trafficking, and illicit fishing, and examine how states have responded. Bueger and Edmunds analyze future trends and show how maritime security is impacted by the critical infrastructure agenda, emerging technologies, cyber security, climate change, biodiversity loss, and the renaissance of geopolitics. Comprehensive and incisive, this primer of maritime security is essential reading for maritime security professionals and students of this increasingly important issue.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acronyms Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: A Short History of Security at Sea Chapter 3: Frameworks for Maritime Security Analysis Chapter 4: Inter-state Conflicts, Terrorism, and Grey Zones Chapter 5: Blue Crime: Pirates, Smugglers, and Eco-Criminals Chapter 6: The 'Who Is Who' of Maritime Security Chapter 7: The Toolbox of Maritime Security Solutions Chapter 8: New Callenges and an Outlook into the Future Index

About the Author :
Christian Bueger is Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, where he leads the Ocean Infrastructures Research Group and the Copenhagen Ocean Hub. Bueger is also an honorary professor at the University of Seychelles and one of the directors of the SafeSeas network. He holds a PhD from the European University institute and is the author of several books and over 180 articles on global ocean politics, maritime security, and issues in international theory. Timothy Edmunds is Professor of International Security and Director of the Global Insecurities Centre at the University of Bristol. He is also one of the directors of the SafeSseas network. Between 2015-19, he was founding Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of International Security for Cambridge University Press and the British International Studies Association (BISA). His work addresses issues of security policy, capacity building, and security sector reform, with focus on the maritime domain.

Review :
Understanding Maritime Security is a 'must-read' for any government official, practitioner, or student who needs to get a handle on contemporary security challenges in the maritime domain. It provides readers with a thoughtful exposition of different approaches to maritime security, as well as exploring the most pressing concerns in the area, ranging from naval demonstrations (or grey zone tactics) to policing challenges and accessing information. Bueger and Edmunds' extensive knowledge and experience in researching and teaching maritime security contribute to the outstanding clarity and relevance of the text. We are dependent on the seas around us in so many ways and yet, in general, our ignorance of this fact and disregard for the health and security of the oceans is dismaying. In this important and timely book, Bueger and Edmunds show why all this matters - from the workings of piracy and ports to illicit fishing and inter-state conflicts - and how we need to embrace long term collaboration and planetary thinking rather than persist with short-term competition. A welcome and overdue addition to the plethora of recent issues of insecurity at sea in the form of hi-jacking by terrorists, piracy off the Horn of Africa, uncontrolled immigration in the Mediterranean and Channel, illegal fishing off West Africa, and threatened grain supplies in the Black Sea. None of these issues is static, simple, or discrete; the sea is the world's greatest connector so no single actor, whether government or international organisation can create a governance framework or hope to enforce it widely. This book offers a comprehensive and disciplined approach to understanding the web of interconnected challenges to maritime security, distilling the issues and creating frameworks to enable key players to move beyond case by cases reactive responses to a more coherent and systematic form of governance and enforcement. Much more than a compilation of priceless papers, this new book is a perfect introduction of maritime security, a concept so often unclear, to not only professionals but also to the general public. It describes the most relevant frameworks for analyzing maritime security and the main issues on the maritime security agenda. Also, and very important, Drs Bueger and Edmund focus on the practical tools that have been developed to deal with maritime security. As a professional who has had the priviledge to witness Dr. Bueger contribution to maritime security in the Indian Ocean, I consider this book a must, and clear evidence of why the academia should be considered a key stakeholder in maritime security. This monograph is really a must-read one stop shop in gaining a coherent understanding of the full range of security issues at sea and their solutions. It is by far the best source to gain an overall analytical framework to understand maritime security. An introduction into every conceivable aspect of the all-important task of maintaining good order at sea...As an introduction to an important issue, it is hard to imagine a better book length survey of the field, which covers so much. Accordingly Understanding Maritime Security is highly recommended reading for all mariners, and those interested in their ways Understanding Maritime Security is highly recommended reading for all mariners, and those interested in their ways. The book connects the dots between the various issues relevant to maritime security and provides the reader with an understanding that the maritime security agenda is essentially an interconnected web of challenges that require coordinated solutions.... Through detailed frameworks and real-world examples, the authors break down complex maritime security issues, offering both analytical tools and practical approaches for addressing modern threats at sea. Christian Bueger and Timothy Edmunds provide an introduction to maritime security and explain how interstate conflicts, terrorism or piracy, smuggling, and illegal fishing determine the field. They further discuss how issues such as critical infrastructure, new technologies, cyber security, climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and the resurgence of geopolitics are increasingly playing a role alongside various players. The authors also present maritime security solutions. The book's blend of academic rigour and practical relevance ensures its place as an indispensableresource. It is a vital addition to the literature and relevant for students, scholars and practitioners of International Relations and security studies.