Safety and Security in the Malacca Straits: The Limits of Collaboration

摘要

The Malacca Straits are arguably the world's busiest and most important waterways. An estimated 25 to 40 percent of all trade passes through them each year, including significant amounts of global oil supplies and other natural resources. Increased vulnerability of shipments through the area, from such causes as piracy and armed robbery to navigational and safety concerns, prompted littoral and user states to mount a series of initiatives that helped significantly bolster ship security in the region over the last several years. User states are providing financial and technical assistance to the littoral states, but that assistance has been largely bilateral, with some new collaboration among the participants suggesting a multilateral approach to enhancing safety and security. However, questions remain about the sustainability of these programs, additional needs and opportunities, and the lessons they may offer for enhancing safety and security in other regions. For the Malacca Straits states, continued resistance to sovereignty infringements persist even though they remain dependent on financial and other assistance from user states for many of their security needs.