New Book: Maritime Security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia out now
Maritime Security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia, edited by Rosalie Arcala Hall (UPV Division of Social Sciences) and Alexander C. Tan (University of Canterbury/Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs), examines the complex challenges of governing Southeast Asia’s maritime spaces amid intensifying geopolitical tensions, territorial disputes, environmental degradation, illegal fishing, maritime crime, and the growing importance of the blue economy. The book argues that maritime security must move beyond a predominantly military or “gunboat-centered” conception of security toward a more comprehensive governance framework that integrates national defense with environmental sustainability, equitable resource use, maritime infrastructure protection, and the welfare of coastal and fishing communities. Drawing on cases from across the region, including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia’s southern maritime frontiers, the contributors highlight the interactions—and tensions—among navies, coast guards, fisheries authorities, commercial interests, local communities, civil society, and regional institutions such as ASEAN. Ultimately, the volume calls for layered and multiscalar maritime governance in which local, national, regional, and minilateral institutions work together to address both traditional security threats and emerging ecological and socioeconomic challenges, emphasizing that sustainable maritime governance is essential to securing Southeast Asia’s seas and the communities whose livelihoods depend on them.
For information on how to purchase a copy of this volume, see this post from the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP-CIDS).
