In the past six years, acts of maritime piracy have been occurring with increasing frequency in many regions of the world. Adverse effects from these attacks are suffered not just by elements of the shipping industry but, by extension, society in general. The global nature of this problem suggests the need for a collective solution at the international level. Therein lies a further problem. While all would benefit from an end to piracy, not one of the affected actors is prepared to unilaterally commit to the necessary collective action. The solution to this problem within a problem' has two parts. First, mechanisms must be established to encourage elements within the industry to act individually towards the collective goal. Second, institutional mechanisms must be created to bring the elements together in support of a collective solution. This thesis analyzes the two elements of this solution and further discusses how a policy resolution might he achieved. International collective action would be the optimal response. In practice, however, many obstacles stand in the way of accomplishing this goal. A comprehensive set of less complex, localized cooperative actions may ultimately prove to be the only realistic solution to the piracy problem.

http://archive.org/details/combattingmariti1094530534

U.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author.

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