Taking stock of maritime insecurity

Crimes at sea such as piracy, smuggling and illegal fishing, are today widely seen as threats to peace and security. Therefore, they are increasingly occupying the international policy agenda and are likewise receiving increased attention in academic scholarship. However, most studies focus on crimes in isolation without paying sufficient attention to the relation between them. Studies also pay insufficient attention to the widespread capacity building taking place in response to maritime insecurity.

These are some of the conclusions in a chapter recently published in the Routledge Handbook of Peace, Security and Development. Written by DIIS researcher Jessica Larsen and Professor Christian Bueger from the University of Copenhagen, the chapter discusses how maritime security has been conceptualized and how the research field of maritime security has evolved in recent decades. It reviews main debates in the literature and outlines various avenues of research for maritime security studies in the future.