Piracy and International Relations – The ISA conference

By Christian Bueger

At this year’s conference of the International Studies Association an impressive number of more than 30 papers investigating piracy will be presented. The conference is the major annual meeting point for scholars interested in international relations (IR), broadly understood. The papers presented not only reveal the relevance of IR scholarship in understanding this contemporary phenomenon, but also the complexity of the piracy problematique. While papers address piracy from very different angles, the following themes shine through:

  • Piracy as a problem of global governance and international cooperation;
  • Piracy as a legal problem and a question of how modern, universal international law  is developing;
  • Piracy as an operational problem, of military coordination, surveillance and deterrence;
  • Piracy as a problem of failed states and the relation between civil war and transnational threats;
  • Piracy as a problem of commercial security and the relation between public and private security providers.

Below we list the papers that will be presented on piracy in chronological order. The majority of papers will be accessible through the conference paper archive. In addition the conference will also host a workshop on Maritime Piracy. More information is available here.

Papers on piracy in chronological order

  • Roberto V. Yamato/ Can E. Mutlu: The Paradox of Bounded Sovereignties: The Pirate and Universal Jurisdiction within the Schmittian Line, WA26: Wednesday 8:15 AM ‐ 10:00 AM,
  • Michael J. Struett/ Mark T. Nance/ Diane Armstrong, Maritime Piracy and Regime Complexes: Explaining Low Levels of Coordination, Wednesday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Kevin Robert McGahan/Terence Lee, Explaining Institutional Variation among Anti‐Piracy Regimes: A Global Governance Approach Wednesday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Graham G. OngWebb, Piracy Desecuritizing? Managing Success in the Malacca Straits, Wednesday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Eamon T. Aloyo, Preventing Piracy: Ar(rrr)e Prosecutions Sufficient? Wednesday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Juliana Bertazzo, An Alternative Approach to Countering Crime in Failed States: As Somali Piracy Becomes a Global Threat, a Range, of Global Problems Wash up on the Shore of Somalia Wednesday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Douglas A. Bulloch, Alexander’s Riddle: The Problem of Pirates in a World without Empires, WB45: Wednesday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM
  • Brandon Prins/Ursula Daxecker, Insurgents of the Sea? Linking Maritime Piracy and Internal Armed Conflict WC10: Wednesday 1:45 PM ‐ 3:30 PM
  • Patrick Jerome Cullen, Commercial Security Solutions to Piracy in the Gulf of Aden: Self‐Defence as a New Technique of Security Governance WD35: Wednesday 4:00 PM ‐ 5:45 PM
  • Carolin Liss: The Changing Nature of Maritime Security Governance: The New Roles of Non‐State Actors WD35: Wednesday 4:00 PM ‐ 5:45 PM
  • Stig J. Hansen, How to Handle Piracy in Aden: Pitfalls and Falltraps, WD35: Wednesday 4:00 PM ‐ 5:45 PM
  • Patricia Schneider, Maritime Terrorism: Laughable or Dangerous? WD35: Wednesday 4:00 PM ‐ 5:45 PM
  • FransPaul van der Putten: China’s Naval Response to Somali Piracy, WD35: Wednesday 4:00 PM ‐ 5:45 PM
  • Ken McDonagh: Pirates, Failed States and the EU: Security Practice and European Identity TB11: Thursday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM
  • Mark S. Berlin From Pirates to Presidents: Explaining Change in Universal Jurisdiction and the International Human Rights Enforcement Regime TC27: Thursday 1:45 PM ‐ 3:30 PM
  • Heather M. Turcotte/Vanessa Lovelace Piracy and Protection: U.S. Imperialism, Legal Masculinities, and Feminist Geopolitics of Race
  • Isaac A. Kamola, Sailing the Capitalist Seas: Piracy and Accumulation in the Gulf of Aden FB20: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Raphael S. Cohen, The Politics of Piracy: The Somalia Counter‐Piracy Effort & International Security Alliances FB28: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Douglas Guilfoyle, The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia: New Governance or Old? FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Christian Bueger/Jan Stockbruegger, Macro‐securitization? Piracy, Threat Construction and the Theory of Security Communities FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Andrew C. Winner: Coalitions and Counterpiracy Operations: Something Old, Something New? FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Lilach Gilady, Joseph MacKay, Grappling with Trickster: The Governance of Piracy in International Politics FC67: Friday 1:45 PM ‐ 3:30 PM
  • Bridget L. Coggins, State Failure and External Threat: Evidence from New Data on Maritime Piracy FE98: Friday 6:15 PM ‐ 8:00 PM
  • Maksim Tsvetovat/ Tatyana Tsvetovat Network Analysis of International Pirate Organizations FE99: Friday 6:15 PM ‐ 8:00 PM SSIP Poster Session I
  • Bibi T. van Ginkel, Legal Challenges in Combating Somali Piracy SA62: Saturday 8:15 AM ‐ 10:00 AM
  • Michael E. Smith, Extraordinary Rendition, European Style? Judicial Reform inLess Developed Countries (LDCs) and the EU’s Counter‐Piracy Naval Operation FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Donna Nincic: Maritime Piracy: The Environment‐Development Nexus SC44: Saturday 1:45 PM ‐ 3:30 PM
  • Justin Hastings, Targeting and Networks in Maritime Pirate Syndicates FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Todd A. Ward, Piracy in Somalia: Assessment and Intervention with Behavioral Science FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Karl E. Sorenson: Deterring the Dauntless: Investigating the Mechanisms of the Somali Piracy FB30: Friday 10:30 AM ‐ 12:15 PM.
  • Kersti K. Niilus Private Security Companies as a Deterrent to Piracy in the Malacca Strait SD48: Saturday 4:00 PM ‐ 5:45 PM

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