The Anarchic Sea: Maritime Security in the Twenty-First Century

Recently the sea has become the locus of international terrorism and transnational crime, with the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people monopolizing the resources of governments and agencies. These threats have united otherwise disparate countries in the fight to secure the ocean's trade and traffic. Yet the effort to control maritime activity can also give rise to great tension and conflict, as in the fight over Spratley and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea and the Lomonosov Ridge in the Arctic Ocean. The dwindling of natural resources dwindle might also force the world's navies to battle over economically vital sea lanes—the growth of such forces across the world being one sign of imminent conflict. The development of military capacity always increases the possibility of abuse. The Anarchic Sea maps the terrain of modern maritime security through seven dimensions, concluding with suggestions for integrating individual components into a cohesive, more efficient protective network.