Ryan, BJ (2019) The Disciplined Sea: A History of Maritime Security and Zonation. International Affairs, 95 (5). pp. 1055-1073. ISSN 0020-5850

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Abstract

This article details the evolution of maritime security from the perspective of its impact on the historical architecture of sea space. It argues that, as the fundamental unit of governance, zoning provides keen insight into the mechanics of maritime security. The paper observes that Britain’s Hovering Acts in the late 18th century represent the earliest example of modern zonation at sea and that they exhibit a shift from early modern territorial claims based on imperium and dominium. The paper explores the way these hovering zones shaped the rationale underlying contemporary maritime security. It finds that maritime security has effectively relegated national security to a minor spatial belt of state power, while elevating non-traditional understandings of security to the level of global existential threat. The future of maritime security is under construction. Increasingly segmented by interconnecting, overlapping, multi-functional zones that seek to regulate all free movement and usage of the sea, the maritime sphere is being reorganised. Nonetheless, the paper argues, despite the novelty of this development, a historical military logic persists in new formations of security oriented practices of maritime governance.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: The final published version of this article will be available online at https://academic.oup.com/ia/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ia/iiz098/5537416
Uncontrolled Keywords: International Relations Theory International History International Governance, Law, and Ethics Conflict, Security, and Defence
Subjects: J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
V Naval Science > V Naval Science (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Politics, Philosophy, International Relations and Environment
Depositing User: Symplectic
Date Deposited: 19 Mar 2019 12:43
Last Modified: 23 Jul 2021 01:30
URI: https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/6085

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