New article: European answers to African questions?

My most recent article has been published by the Centre for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC). It discusses European involvement in the provision of maritime security in Africa. More importantly, I provide a brief analysis on the success of European involvement in recent years. This is the introduction:

Maritime security challenges have received increasing attention in Europe in recent years. In 2014, the Council of the European Union adopted the first EU Maritime Security Strategy which includes a comprehensive definition of maritime security from a European standpoint. The EU understands it “as a state of affairs of the global maritime domain, in which international law and national law are enforced, freedom of navigation is guaranteed and citizens, infrastructure, transport, the environment and marine resources are protected.” In short, maritime security comprises much more than the traditional questions related to seapower and naval strategies.

Furthermore, the document underlines that the EU’s capacity to engage with other organizations such as the African Union which “has a direct impact on its ability to safeguard its interests and to strengthen regional and international maritime security.” Africa matters, not only because of migrants boarding rickety boats in Libya to embark on a dangerous trip to Europe. At the same time, European and African governments often have different agendas, underlined by the many challenges to maritime security emanating from the African coastline.

You can find the full article on the CIMSEC website. You can contact me for any thoughts, comments or questions. Feel free to get in touch if you are interested in any other subjects related to maritime security as well.