Maritime Security: Fighting Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Beyond (Heritage Special Report, Number 59, June 24, 2009)

摘要

The Heritage Foundation's Maritime Security Working Group -- composed of representatives from academia, the private sector, research institutions, and government -- produces cutting-edge policy recommendations for making the seas safer for the United States, its friends and allies, and global commerce. The fourth occasional report by the group addressing the most pressing issues confronting maritime security examines the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the appropriate U.S. response. This report Describes the threat of piracy to global commerce and the safety and security of ships transiting the Gulf of Aden; Addresses domestic and international legal aspects of responding to piracy and other criminal acts at sea; Proposes the appropriate mix of private-sector and U.S. military responses to piracy, including long-term investments in constabulary maritime assets; Recommends solutions for improving the capacity of regional powers to protect freedom of the seas; and Outlines a strategy for dealing with the 'root' of the problem, which is lack of governance in Somalia. Though the report's proposals are focused on the Gulf of Aden, they have implications for combating piracy worldwide. Since 2003, piracy has been reported off the coasts of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Brazil, and Peru. Raising levels of piracy off the coast of East Africa, however, could be a precursor to a new global trend. The recent successes of the Somali pirates may empower and inspire other groups. The frequency and level of violence from piracy acts could increase. Within the last month, there were two attacks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and a coastal tanker was hijacked off the coast of Colombia. While the appropriate response for each threat must be tempered by local conditions, the solutions and instruments for responsible action in the Gulf of Aden will hold lessons for meeting the challenge of piracy in other parts of the world.