scholarly journals Beyond Seablindness: A New Agenda for Maritime Security Studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Christian Bueger ◽  
Timothy Edmunds

This article examines the rise of maritime security in concept and practice. We argue that developments in the maritime arena have flown beneath the radar of much mainstream international relations and security studies scholarship, and that a new agenda for maritime security studies is required. In this article we outline the contours of such an agenda, with the intention of providing orientation and direction for future research. Our discussion is structured into three main sections, each of which outlines a core dimension of the maritime security problem space. We begin with a discussion of the issues and themes that comprise the maritime security agenda, including how it has been theorized in security studies to date. Our argument is that the marine environment needs to be understood as part of an interlinked security complex, which also incorporates strong connections between land and sea. Second, we examine the ways in which maritime security actors have responded to these challenges in practice, focusing on issues of maritime domain awareness, coordination of action, and operations in the field. Third, we turn to the mechanisms through which the new maritime security agenda is being disseminated to local actors through a processof devolved security governance. We focus particularly on efforts to distribute knowledge and skills to local actors through capacity building and security sector reform. In the conclusion, we outline the future challenges for maritime security studies that follow from these observations.

Author(s):  
Francois Vreÿ ◽  
Michelle Nel ◽  
Henri Fouché ◽  
Mark Blaine

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr.Sc. Bekim Baliqi

This article explores the relationship between Security Sector Reform (SSR) and institutional transition in post-conflict countries, drawing on a case study of Kosovo. The study focuses on the institution-building of core security institutions and the role of international community in Sector Security Reform in Kosovo, reviewing the ways in which security, the rule of law and political context have been intertwined. The article first outlines the context of the international mission in Kosovo, in particular transformation of Kosovo Liberation Army through Demilitarization, Demobilization and Reintegration before proceeding to consider how the objectives, needs and constraints of international and local actors have influenced the reform of the security institutions and the security in general. Then, article explores the establishment of Kosovo Police Service and the reform process of this and other relevant security institution. In the first line, article will discusses concepts of SSR and overview an overall process of democratic transition with a main focus on security sector. After the presentation of a brief development of the SSR in Kosovo since the end of war with focus on the role of international community, article will be completed by the main findings and conclusions of this research


Author(s):  
Antoine Vandemoorteele

This article analyzes the role of the European Union (EU) and Canada in the promotion of Security Sector Reforms (SSR) activities in two regional organizations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The concept of SSR seeks to address the effective governance of security in post-conflict environment by transforming the security institutions within a country in order for them to have more efficient, legitimate and democratic role in implementing security. Recent debates within the EU have led to the adoption of an SSR concept from the Council and a new strategy from the European Commission on the SSR activities. Within the framework of the ESDP, the EU has positioned itself as a leading actor, in this domain, including in its crisis management operations. On the other hand, Canada, through its whole-of government and human security programs has also been an important actor in the promotion of SSR activities. Yet, even though several international organizations (including the United Nations, the OSCE and NATO) are effectively doing SSR activities on the ground, there does not exist a common framework within any of these organizations despite the role of the EU and Canada. As such, it is surprising to found no global common policy for SSR while this approach is precisely holistic in its foundations. Taking these elements into consideration, this paper analyzes two specific aspects : a) the absence of a common policy framework within international organizations and b) the major differences between the approaches of the OSCE and NATO in the domain of SSR and the implications for the EU and Canada’ roles.   Full extt available at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v3i2.186


2021 ◽  
pp. 002200272110130
Author(s):  
Robert A. Blair ◽  
Benjamin S. Morse

How does violence during civil war shape citizens’ willingness to trust and rely on state security providers in the post-conflict period? Can post-conflict security sector reform restore perceptions of state security forces among victims of wartime state predation? Using a survey and field experiment in Liberia, we show that rebel-perpetrated violence is strongly positively correlated with trust and reliance on the police after conflict is over, while state-perpetrated violence is not. Victims of wartime state predation are, however, more likely to update their priors about the police in response to positive interactions with newly reformed police officers. We also show that abuses committed by police officers in the post-conflict period are negatively correlated with citizens’ perceptions of the police, potentially counteracting the positive effects of security sector reform. We corroborate our quantitative findings with detailed qualitative observations of interactions between civilians and police officers in the field.


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