Ganging up on Jolly Roger in Asia : International cooperation and maritime piracy

Abstract

As non-traditional security threats such as terrorism and organized transnational crime gain greater prominence around the globe, the need for international cooperation against these non-state actors has consequently acquired greater urgency. Due to the cross-boundary nature of these activities, international cooperation is particularly critical for eradicating these threats. This thesis analyzes a particular instance of a non-state threat, maritime piracy, and uses it as a probe for understanding the nature of international cooperation vis-a-vis non-state actors. I observe a somewhat surprising trend while collating a database of all instances of international cooperation against maritime piracy throughout the world - Asia, and in particular Southeast Asia, has been the source of a disproportionately high level of international cooperation that is focused on eradicating the piracy problem. Furthermore, this trend has occurred even though Asia is often regarded as lacking the conditions necessary for international cooperation in the traditional security domain - binding multilateral institutions that can facilitate the institutionalization of cooperation agreements, as well as a hegemonic power with the ability to enforce cooperation. What has enabled international cooperation against maritime piracy to flourish in Asia, and what does this imply about non-traditional forms of security cooperation? I propose that non-traditional security cooperation has thrived in Asia for at least two unconventional reasons - the ability of non-binding institutions such as ASEAN to facilitate and promote non-traditional security cooperation, as well as the effective use of national coast guard agencies to avoid the political sensitivities that often result from security cooperation in the traditional domain.

(cont.) I make these arguments by relying on evidence post-processed from two international datasets that I have collated - one on the instances of international cooperation against maritime piracy, and another on the geographical distribution of piracy attacks over time. It is hoped that these datasets, made publicly available for the first time, will be expanded upon for further research by the academic community. Finally, non-traditional forms of security threats appear to greater enable national governments to leverage off their commonality of interests to promote cooperation, and may even be an important confidence building measure for generating greater cooperation in the traditional security domain in future.