This comparative study of piracy and maritime violence provides a fresh understanding of European overseas expansion and colonisation in Asia. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Maritime piracy continues to persist as a significant phenomenon manifesting a range of social, historical, geo-political, security and economic issues. Today, the waters of Southeast Asia serve as the dominant region for the occurrence of piracy and the challenges it poses to regional security and Malacca Straits security. As a second installment within the Series on Maritime Issues and Piracy in Asia by the International Institute of Asian Studies, Leiden University, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the authors of this volume add fresh perspectives to the ongoing debate about piracy, the threat of maritime terrorism, and the challenge of securing the Malacca Straits today.

Beyond providing a solid foundation for the analysis of maritime piracy in Southeast Asia, the book also gives considerable attention to the challenges of regional co-operation.

Maritime piracy in the Strait of Malacca has dramatically increased since 1998. Efforts by regional countries to combat pirates have had limited success. If left unchecked, piracy could severely affect global trade, regional stability and the flow of oil to Asia. Analyzing current and previous efforts to combat piracy in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore will determine what worked and did not work to reduce the number of attacks against ships. This paper will show that increased coordinated and combined patrols as well as improved intelligence-sharing will significantly reduce the number of pirate attacks in the Strait of Malacca. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore do not have the full resources available to accomplish this alone and will require the assistance of a coalition of willing partners with a stake in the region. Since the United States is the only country that has the resources, capabilities, and experience to bring countries together, it is the nation best suited to lead such an effort. Under U.S. Pacific Command's Regional Maritime Security Initiative (RMSI), the United States can lead a successful effort that will reduce piracy and armed robbery in the Straits.

Southeast Asia contains some of the world's busiest shipping waters, particularly the Indonesian archipelago, the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea. The natural geography and human ecology of maritime Southeast Asia makes the area particularly apt for piracy. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that these waters are also the world's most pirate-infested, accounting for over a third of the total number of pirate attacks world-wide. The figures have increased in recent years, as transnationally organized crime syndicates have extended their activities in the area. Meanwhile, the capacity of the state authorities in the region to suppress piracy appears to have declined, fuelling suspicions that sections of the maritime authorities are colluding with some of the organized pirate gangs that they are supposed to be combating. Not surprisingly, piracy has a long history in the region, and in several instances during the last 250 years, pirates have disrupted peaceful trade and communications. This text traces the shifting character and development of Southeast Asian piracy from the 18th century to the present day, demonstrating how political, economic, social and technological factors have contributed to change - but have by no means exterminated - the phenomenon. -- Description from http://www.amazon.co.uk (Oct. 19, 2011).