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The global maritimization over the past half-century has heightened states vulnerability to maritime risks and threats, a situation particularly acute in the Wider Caribbean Region. This region, characterised by an important number of small and micro-states, faces a multitude of multiscalar maritime security challenges. In response, these states have increasingly adopted cooperative strategies, fostering close relationships to mitigate their shared vulnerabilities. Drawing on 98 interviews conducted between 2018 and 2023 with international, national, and local authorities, alongside extensive field observations, this article contributes to the scholarly discourse on regionalism. It demonstrates how a shared sense of vulnerability among these actors has fostered a ‘community of situation’, promoting intensified interactions that have led to notable advancements in regional integration and the diminishing of border effects. This study highlights the critical role of proximity-based cooperation in overcoming the geopolitical fragmentation that hampers security efforts in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although historians and archaeologists have been quick to point out the political and economic conditions that tend to foment sea piracy, less attention has been given to the ecology of ‘blue crimes’. This article offers an empirical synthesis of recent archaeological work on piratical sites from the Age of Sail (ca. 1570–1860) while drawing parallels to both ancient Mediterranean and contemporary sea piracy in order to highlight some common patterns and explore the broader potential of a political ecology framing. I argue that sea piracy is in part an effect of ecological conditions and in turn produces its own political and ecological effects. I also consider Graeber and Wengrow’s transhistorical argument about the ‘ecology of freedom’ as it applies to sea piracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piracy has long plagued the maritime industry, and has led to significant losses of life and goods. The risk of maritime piracy is largely predicted at present based on static analysis. This does not suitably address practical needs because the behavior and activities of maritime pirates are dynamic. Selecting an appropriate strategy for reducing the risk of piracy under a dynamic environment featuring uncertainty thus remains a key challenge. In this study, we propose a two-stage technique for order of preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) model based on the Bayesian network (BN). A data-driven BN is constructed in the first stage of the proposed method to identify the causal relationships influencing the behaviors of pirates. The second stage involves calculating a decision matrix of the strategies by using TOPSIS, where this enhances the strength of risk prediction and dynamic diagnosis by the BN. The main novelty of the proposed model is that it can provide quantitative measurements of strategies for reducing the probability of piracy in a dynamic environment. It provides a decision-making tool for researchers, shipping companies, and national navies to assess the risk of piracy and select effective measures to reduce its likelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine areas beyond national jurisdiction are a prime target for transnational maritime environmental crime due to a fragmented international legal framework and a lack of coordination and cooperation between governance and institutional structures. On 19 June 2023, member States of the United Nations adopted the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). As the third Implementing Agreement to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC), the BBNJ Agreement seeks to secure the long term protection and integratedmanagement of marine biodiversity through the effective implementation of relevant provisions of the LOSC and by strengthening and promoting cooperation and coordination between and among relevant legal instruments, frameworks and relevant global, regional, subregional and sectoral bodies. This article examines the relationship between the BBNJ Agreement and transnational maritime environmental crime and considersways the instrument could assist in efforts to combat such crime. As part of this analysis, this article explores how the BBNJ Agreement could provide an important platform for the formation of key partnerships and alliances by means of regional and bilateral dialogues, outreach and coalition-building to address transnational maritime environmental crime and mobilize and sustain the momentum for global action on this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey has started to build closer ties with Somalia in the last decade. Somalia is in a strategically located at a key point in Africa which is also of global importance as a gateway from the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, leading to the Mediterranean. This indicates that many world powers want to gain influence in Somalia, but when the African country was in serious crisis, Turkey took advantage of the difficult times to step in, show its power and start building connections in the Horn of Africa. In 2011, during the humanitarian crisis, which devastated Somalia, Turkey helped the country with important and unforgettable volume. Since then, the relations between the two countries have been strengthening connections. In 2023 we can state that Turkey has its largest embassy in the world in Somalia, Turkey has a huge military camp in Somalia's capital, Turkish companies run the Mogadishu's international airport and international port, and one of the Mogadishu's biggest hospital is named after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as Turkey renovated the facility. In this study we aim to focus on Turkey's military connections in Somalia, as several thousands of Somali soldiers have been trained by Turkey and several thousands more are yet to be trained by Turkish professional soldiers in a military facility build by Turkey: the Turkish Task Force Command in Somalia (STGK) which is one of a kind in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces southern blue criminology, a novel theoretical framework that extends traditional criminological analysis to encompass the environmental harms affecting the world's oceans, particularly from a Global South perspective. This approach critiques crime-centric analysis and expands upon the concept of "harmscapes" - areas significantly impacted by ecological damage - by integrating socio-economic and cultural contexts often overlooked by prevailing enforcement paradigms developed in the Global North. Through a critical review of existing criminological theories and maritime enforcement practices, this study highlights the inadequacies of current approaches that fail to account for the transnational and complex nature of oceanic harms. Southern blue criminology is proposed through four integrative perspectives: shifting from a crime-centric view to embracing a broader conception of ocean harmscapes; moving beyond state-centric responses to foster whole-of-society involvement including non-state actors; transcending Western-centric governance models in favor of context-dependent strategies that respect local knowledge and practices; and expanding the analytical frame from human-centric approaches to include human-nonhuman assemblages, recognizing the ocean as an active participant in ecological and social interactions. The framework aims to foster more effective and sustainable management of marine environments, proposing a shift from a punitive focus to a more comprehensive, preventive, and restorative approach. The implications of this research are significant, suggesting a transformative shift in policies to better address the intricate web of factors contributing to maritime environmental crimes and to enhance global ecological justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the representation of Cape Horn in Virginia Woolf's novel "Orlando" and its connection to British imperialism. The protagonist's fascination with Cape Horn reflects her evolving identity as a British woman in the Victorian era. The article also explores the historical significance of Cape Horn as a strategic base for European imperial powers and its portrayal in narratives by Charles Darwin and Richard Hakluyt. The author argues that Woolf's romanticized depiction of Cape Horn in the novel obscures the reality of British exploitation and containment in South America. The article further analyzes the symbolism of Shelmerdine's return by airplane, which represents a nostalgic longing for the nation's past and optimism for its future. Overall, the article highlights the intricate relationship between literature, history, and imperialism in Woolf's work. [Extracted from the article]

Maritime cyber risks, due to digitalisation, automation and operational integration in the maritime sector, have emerged as a new threat to maritime security. The rapid increase in maritime cyberattacks, with far-reaching consequences, requires the maritime sector and international community to address cyber security threats. In a global world, the consequences of a cyberattack affecting the transportation system of a country or a single terminal can quickly cascade across, and disrupt, the entire global supply chain. Thus, like piracy, maritime cyber security should be approached from a global governance perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bay of Bengal (BoB) region is becoming increasingly important in international politics due to its strategic location as a transit route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The BoB is bordered by India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, with a combined population of 1.7 billion and a GDP of $1.7 trillion. The region is a critical chokepoint for maritime shipping, with approximately 90,000 ships passing through the Malacca Strait each year. The BoB is also experiencing growth in the blue economy, with a focus on sectors such as fishing, offshore energy, shipping, and coastal tourism. However, the region faces challenges such as security issues, environmental vulnerabilities, political instability, and non-traditional maritime crimes. Piracy and armed robbery are prevalent in the BoB, and the region is a transit point for illicit trade, including narcotics and contraband. Irregular maritime migration is also a significant issue, driven by economic insecurity, conflict, and climate vulnerability. The BoB is highly susceptible to natural disasters and climate change, which affect ocean productivity, habitats, and biological processes. The region is marked by communal and ethnic conflicts, and there is a growing power rivalry between China and India. Regional organizations such as BIMSTEC have been established to address these issues, but their effectiveness has been limited. This special issue aims to explore the contestation for control in the BoB region, the role of regional organizations, and the [Extracted from the article]

Although grey zone and hybrid threats, such as cyberattacks, information campaigns, and sabotage against critical infrastructure, are becoming increasingly common in the contemporary world, relatively little attention has been directed to similar threats in the maritime environment. The recent global pandemic, Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Nord Stream sabotage in 2022, the sabotage of the Finnish-Baltic pipeline in 2023 in the Baltic Sea, as well as drone attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf are but a few examples that illustrate the fragility of international maritime communications. The present article explores the topic of grey zone and hybrid threats within the maritime environment. Based on an analysis of recent security events, particularly hybrid threats in the maritime environment, the article proposes that it is essential to seek a broader role for naval forces in supporting national sovereignty and international law and order regarding the Open Seas. The article aims to conceptualize and explore the foundations of maritime grey zone threats and the new roles of naval forces operating within this new context, asking whether the UN, through the International Maritime Organization, NATO, and the European Union, suffer from "sea blindness" concerning how they are preparing for the new world order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the evolving strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific, Australia’s National Defence Strategy (NDS) emerges as a comprehensive framework to address the region’s increasing security challenges. The NDS leverages a whole-of-government approach, integrating all elements of national power to safeguard Australia’s interests. Recognizing the region’s significance, home to more than half the world’s population and pivotal maritime trade routes, the strategy underscores Australia’s reliance on regional stability for its prosperity. Amid intensifying great-power competition and technological advancements in military capabilities, the NDS outlines Australia’s commitment to self-protection, regional dialogue, and sustaining diplomatic partnerships. It prioritizes a “strategy of denial,” enhancing the Australian Defence Force’s range and lethality to deter potential adversaries. The strategy calls for bolstered naval, army, air, space, and cyber capabilities, integrated to support deterrence through denial. The NDS, alongside the Integrated Investment Plan, aims to fortify Australia’s maritime approaches and reinforce the global rules-based order, emphasizing collaboration with the United States and other allies to ensure collective security and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navy escorts are considered crucial in countering illegal piracy attacks. In this paper, a novel approach is developed to investigate the effect of navy escorts on piracy incidents by models based on two enhanced Tree‐Augmented Naïve (TAN) Bayesian networks. This approach offers a systematic investigation into the various factors that influence pirate activities, and helps to identify changes in piracy attack behaviors when confronted by navy escorts and assess the effectiveness of anti‐piracy measures. An empirical study is conducted utilizing a unique data set compiled from multiple sources from 2000 to 2019. The empirical evidence shows that there was a gradual reduction in the incidence of piracy attacks in East Africa following the implementation of navy escorts in 2009, but with a surge in 2010 and 2011. The data set is, thus, divided into two time periods at the point of 2009 to facilitate a robust and comprehensive analysis, resulting in the development of two TAN models. Meanwhile, the geographical distribution of pirate attacks has shifted from international waters to port areas and territorial waters. We argue that the surge and geographical shift could be attributed to the calculating behavior of pirates when they encounter external pressures. Finally, a Shapely approach is introduced to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the implemented risk management strategies from a Game Theory perspective. This study offers new insights into the promotion of navy escorts and contributes to the development of a framework for assessing piracy risks in uncertain and dynamic anti‐piracy environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many non-traditional maritime safety and security threats viz. piracy, armed robberies at sea, maritime terrorism, human trafficking, drugs trafficking, illicit trafficking in wildlife, illegal deals in weapons, IUU fishing, dilapidation of ocean health and illegal exploitation of sea resources, etc. have emerged as real and serious challenges not only to the commercial shipping but also to the national security. A comprehensive response from the worldwide seafaring community is the need of the hour to tackle these maritime threats, both natural and man-made. India’s initiative of establishing the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in the year 2018 can be regarded as a significant step in dealing with the variety of maritime security challenges. Jointly managed and run by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, the IFC-IOR fulfils the purpose of creating Maritime Domain Awareness on the issues pertaining to maritime safety and security. Protecting maritime interests and augmenting security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is indispensable for maintaining free navigation and overflight, unconstrained commerce and a free, open and UNCLOS-based regime in the IOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal fisheries in Tanjung Medang Village, North Rupat District, Bengkalis Regency play an important role in shaping the economic characteristics and culture of its community. Physically, the North Rupat District is predominantly divided into residential areas along the inter-village roads and coastal areas that serve as the primary source of livelihood for most of its population. Now, North Rupat District has become a destination for both residents and visitors, impacting the existence of increasingly complex local economic resources and wisdom along the coastal areas of North Rupat District. Revitalization of coastal fisheries production factors is needed to improve economic life. Therefore, what model of economic development policy is needed to access traditional local economic resources to reduce local poverty? What kind of revitalization is required for traditional fishermen to utilize maritime economic resources fairly for the local population? The economic development policy for alternative marine economic resources involves integrating and collaborating the rights and obligations of state actors, private actors, and the public in maritime politics and economics. The revitalization of coastal fisheries production factors includes organizing the ecological integration of areas as traditional fishing grounds, tourism economic areas, and the originality of traditional culture across various disciplines, as well as fostering cultural integration among stakeholders and intergenerational concern among the Tanjung Medang community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of a pirate ship in Loch Craignish in 1720 was an episodic occurrence, which introduced a local community in Argyllshire to the process of globalisation, a process marked by the transoceanic movements of people, goods and ideas. For literate Scots, the wider horizons of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were opened up by novels, travel literature and newsprint. While reading material stimulated the mind and promoted discussion about matters of global interest, actual commodities from overseas variously engaged all the senses. Globalisation became an active rather than a passive experience. Sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste affected all, from the social, commercial and intellectual elites to the woman in the field and the man in the street in early modern Scotland. Nevertheless, public knowledge of where colonial commodities came from became distanced by time. A global awareness of place was retained in families and communities overtly engaged in mercantile and military adventuring, especially when accompanied by death whether through natural causes, misadventure or mortal combat. Illicit activities had a no less profound impact. Indeed, covert people trafficking, enslavement, smuggling, shipwrecking and piracy had a more local immediacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a list of contributors to the journal International Affairs, who have expertise in various fields such as international relations, scientific research, environmental policy, cybersecurity, war studies, and political science. Their research interests cover a wide range of topics including global governance, circular economy, climate change, digital development, and conflict and peace. The contributors have published extensively in academic journals and have conducted research in different regions around the world. [Extracted from the article]

Piracy cannot be understood in isolation from other (criminal) engagements, but how can we explore such linkages and why is it relevant to understand their implications, both for piracy and counterpiracy? Appreciating that Niger Delta-based piracy has dropped to historically low levels, this article explores what pirates do when they do not sustain themselves by engaging in piracy. As such, the article offers novel empirical insights into underexplored dimensions of piracy. Moreover, we use this case-study to demonstrate the relevance of an infrastructure-inspired conceptualization much beyond analyses of piracy and counterpiracy. Showing how piracy is linked to broader and often violent infrastructures that interventions leave unaddressed, and stressing key implications of the continuity and change in such linkages, is a first step towards appreciating the centrality of a broader dilemma that intervention actors confront: how to conceptualize the necessity to delimit a problem, while appreciating the significance of problem-dimensions left unaddressed? Our suggestion is that an infrastructure-inspired approach offers a helpful starting-point, a suggestion that we demonstrate in an analysis of how Niger Delta-based piracy forms part of a broader 'gun business' landscape, which does not only entail different types of crime but also various types of victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a bridge for international trade, maritime transportation security is crucial to the global economy. Southeast Asian waters have become a high-incidence area of global piracy attacks due to geographic location and complex security situations, posing a great threat to the development of the Maritime Silk Road. In this study, the factors affecting the risk of pirate attacks are analyzed in depth by using the Global Ship Piracy Attacks Report from the IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) database (i.e., 2013–2022) in conjunction with a Bayesian Network (BN) model, and the Expectation Maximization algorithm is used to train the model parameters. The results show that piracy behaviors and the ship's risk are the key factors affecting the risk of pirate attacks, and suggestions are made to reduce the risk of pirate attacks. This study develops a theoretical basis for preventing and controlling the risk of pirate attacks on ships, which helps maintain the safety of ship operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeast Asia’s coastal communities are the frontliners of climate change impacts. Traditional livelihoods and fish landings are already declining due to changes in sea temperatures and increasingly frequent extreme weather. A human security lens should be used to examine the consequences of climate change impacts on the marginalised communities that suffer directly from it. This study adapts a 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change vulnerability assessment for human and food security and assessment of potential conflicts, merging it with a tool to assess community resilience and adaptability to threats, as a framework to analyse the predicament of Malaysia’s artisanal fishermen. A case study based on 16 years of ethnographic and participant observation in a fishing community that depends on the maritime boundary between Malaysia and Singapore is used to illustrate the above. This paper demonstrates how local knowledge and experience in overcoming change should be used for better climate change adaptation policies and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ilyarachninae are a diverse and widely distributed subfamily of the asellote family Munnopsidae. This paper describes nine new deep-sea species from two Ilyarachninae genera, Ilyarachna and Notoapais, from the southwestern Pacific, namely from New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. Ilyarachna aculeatus n. sp., Ilyarachna brucei n. sp., Ilyarachna franki n. sp., Ilyarachna mclayi n. sp., Ilyarachna pacifica n. sp., Ilyarachna sami n. sp., Ilyarachna taranui n. sp. and Notopais chathamensis n. sp. are described from New Zealand waters, while Notopais likros n. sp. is described from off the east coast of Australia. Additionally, a redescription of Notopais spinosa from the Balleny Islands, Antarctica, and a revised key to the Ilyarachna and Notopais species from the southwest Pacific are included, and the distribution, affinities, and diagnostic characters of the new species are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeast Asian states are frequently viewed as jealously guarding their sovereignty and unwilling to delegate authority to multilateral organisations or private actors. In the contemporary response to regional piracy and armed robbery at sea (PAR), however, insurers and shippers have come to occupy a central governance role while the fortunes of private security actors (PSAs) have declined. Why? This paper conducts a qualitative case study analysis examining the evolving role of shipping and insurance companies and PSAs in the development and implementation of anti-PAR policies in Southeast Asia today. It argues that while the role of PSAs has diminished due to growing regional governance capacities, regional countries and multilateral regulatory frameworks have enlisted insurers and shippers as governance stakeholders, elevating them from beneficiaries of good order at sea to active shapers of this maritime order. The diverging experiences of PSAs and insurers/shippers demonstrate that the regulatory power relationship between states and private actors is not necessarily zero-sum as the role of insurers and shippers has grown even as state capacities have expanded. Ultimately, the paper illustrates the need to go beyond state- and PSA-centric analyses of maritime governance mechanisms in contemporary Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Understanding how covert networks are formed is key to disrupting the operation of illicit activities. Applying standard network measures to a covert network, while useful, is limited in identifying the peculiar properties of the network in question. It is important that we compare the covert network against a benchmark, be it random networks or, more ideally, the counterpart (overt) network in the same context. We report a study in collaboration with law enforcement agency to examine the co-voyage network of criminals and non-criminals. A comparison of the two groups of actors in their network positions allows us to test whether criminals tend to blend in or hide out from the population of non-criminals. Methods: Drawing on data on maritime activities in Taiwan recorded from years 2016 to 2018, we map a maritime co-voyage network of 53,009 nodes and 2,592,288 weighted links. We follow a bootstrap resampling procedure to estimate the structural features of the co-voyage networks of criminals and non-criminals. Results: Criminals are more likely to co-voyage with their own type than non-criminals. Similarly, criminals are more clustered in the co-voyage network than non-criminals. Conclusions: It is more supported that criminals segregate from than blend in non-criminals in the co-voyage network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its beginnings in the 19th century, the liner shipping industry has shown specific peculiarities characterized by close collaboration between sea carriers. This cooperation has materialized through various types of inter-firm agreements that have been exempted from the key principles of competition law. Recently, strong criticism has emerged against strategic alliances and related agreements that rule a concentrated market where operators are strongly interrelated and increasingly integrated. However, the maritime management literature so far has given little attention to the concrete provisions of these agreements, which still appear as 'black boxes.' To fill this gap, we collected 61 enforced cooperative agreements registered with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission from 1973 to 2020 using a three-way comparison through legal, linguistic, and business lenses of the differences between older and newer types of agreements. We underline the key temporal evolutions of these contracts and show how ocean carriers have incorporated new legal constraints and strategic needs driven by structural market changes toward greater logistics integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsea infrastructure is typically out of sight, but in recent times, seldom out of mind. The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in October 2022 has magnified the vulnerability and critical importance of subsea infrastructure. It also exposed a lack of understanding on how subsea networks operate, how they are regulated, who controls them and how they are protected. Ireland matters in this context. Despite its official policy of neutrality, Ireland occupies an important strategic position in terms of transatlantic telecommunications cables between the United States, Britain and continental Europe. The conflict in Ukraine has amplified tensions in this context in terms of the increased threat of grey-zone/hybrid warfare activity. This article will consider for the first time how a global connectivity hub on the western periphery of Europe governs critical underwater infrastructure. It will discuss the context and agencies involved in subsea cable governance in Ireland and identify the gaps in this protection before formulating suggestions for the long-term improvement of Ireland's maritime security capacity. The Irish case is important as it can help inform defence policy and security practice in other island states with large maritime jurisdictions and in particular states with small navies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anne Bonny and Mary Read remain the best known, and perhaps only, female pirates active in the so-called Golden Age of Piracy, the late 17th and early 18th century in the Caribbean. They were caught and sentenced to death but no records exist of an execution. This paper engages with the multiplicity of fictions inspired by the brief record of their trial and traces how legal meaning can be created and negotiated through the imaginative genealogy of a single trial, and in particular how the form of these secondary texts reflects changing attitudes towards gender, sexuality and violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-government, characterized by the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) tools for delivering services to citizens, offers numerous synergies and advantages to governments and communities. However, there are a number of difficulties that prevent the successful implementation of e-government. This study delves into the identification and critical examination of the key variables influencing the adoption of e-government in Somalia while evaluating the barriers that need to be overcome for its successful implementation. The research focuses on data collected from the Benadir Regional Administration (BRA) in Mogadishu, Somalia, serving as a comprehensive case study. Data was obtained from a representative sample of 370 staff members, drawn from a total population of 5,000 registered staff, utilizing Slovin's formula for random sampling. Data analysis was conducted through multiple linear regressions using SPSS version 26. The findings of this study reveal the most prominent challenges and factors influencing the implementation of e-government in Somalia. There are three independent variables: technological factors, political factors, and social factors. The technological results revealed that technological factors had a substantially positive link with e-government, with a p-value (0.000) of less than 5% at the significant level, and regarding political characteristics, the result shows a positive association, with a p-value of 0.000. While social factors have implications, this variable has a modest positive relationship with e-governance, as its p-value is 0.192. It is advised that Somali governments take advantage of the benefits of e-government by addressing these difficulties collaboratively, taking into account the sensitivity of particular socioeconomic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Until the 17th century, the Dutch coastal region of Zeeland ranked among Europe's most urbanized areas, driven by thriving international trade networks. People living in this time of flourishing economy benefitted enormously from it in terms of employment opportunities and working conditions, which were reportedly better than in the rest of the Low Countries. However, the rapid growth of Zeeland's urban centers likely presented increasing challenges for the population in terms of accessing essential resources, including food, clean water, and housing. In the 19th century, Zeeland's economy ultimately faced a significant downturn due to the decline in the maritime trade, leading to a substantial reduction in its urban population. Examining patterns of urbanization and economic histories that differ from the commonly studied thriving industrial contexts in bioarcheological research, as exemplified by Zeeland, is a crucial yet relatively underexplored facet in our efforts to understanding the human past. To address this gap, this study investigates the impact of urbanization on the health of Zeeland's inhabitants over time by analyzing nonspecific stress markers (i.e., cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and linear enamel hypoplasia) and chronic maxillary sinusitis in a sample of 246 individuals from three urban sites dating from 1030 to 1800 CE. Our analysis of skeletal remains reveals significant differences in the prevalence of porotic hyperostosis, linear enamel hypoplasia, and sinusitis between the medieval and post‐medieval periods. These findings suggest that de‐urbanization and economic decline adversely affected the health and well‐being of the populations under study, influenced by factors such as working conditions and food availability. This study provides a new perspective on bioarcheological approaches to urbanization, shedding light on the intricate realities of urbanization in Zeeland and offering important insights into its complexities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly excavated, well-built, Middle Bronze (MB) II–III coastal structure at Tel Dor provides a fresh glimpse into the turbulent settlement history of the Carmel Coast in the first half of the 2nd millennium b.c.e. The structure, incorporating a massive ashlar orthostat, was built in the MB I–II transition or MB II and existed for more than a century before its collapse during the MB III. A tight cluster of radiocarbon data indicates its destruction ca. 1600–1550 b.c.e. As the first Middle Bronze Age structure extensively excavated at Dor, it fills a lacuna in the site's history. Other Middle Bronze Age finds enable a reconstruction of Dor's anchorages and create a narrative of settlement patterns on the Carmel Coast, tightly connected with contemporary maritime activities, and reflecting a resilient settlement system devoid of urban centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Gaza was among the largest and most important cities of the southern Levant, it has played a relatively minor role in recent reassessments of the reoccupation of the Palestinian coast and its administration in the Persian period. The widely-held scholarly view that Gaza fell outside of direct Achaemenid control, in a coastal zone conceded to a confederation of Arabian tribes ruled by the king of Qedar, is a primary factor in according it a separate status from the other cities of Philistia. This article argues that the sources do not support the notion that Gaza and its environs belonged to an Arabian district. Rather, Gaza, like the other coastal cities of Philistia, seems to have been redeveloped in the late sixth century BCE by Phoenician agents, likely from Tyre. While Gaza held a distinct position as the main outlet of Arabian and Egyptian trade, it was culturally and economically oriented around the wider Phoenician maritime network and integrated into a dense network of Achaemenid military and administrative infrastructure in the region. In the early fourth century BCE, however, the loss of Egypt and the eclipse of the Qedarites fundamentally transformed the nature of Achaemenid authority in the region. Gaza may have been lost during much or all of this period, and the Achaemenid response is visible across this border region. Nevertheless, Gaza retained its central commercial position across these disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the capture of a single ship in 1763, which involved an unusually complicated sequence of events that illuminates the distinction between piracy and privateering. The vessel in question was the frigate Tranquebar, which belonged to the Danish Asiatic Company – a trading company that, in the years 1732–1772, had a monopoly over Danish shipping in Asia. The episode involving the Danish frigate, which ended up in Portuguese hands after its capture by Maratha ships, raises questions about the nature of piracy and prize law in the context of international relations between maritime powers in times of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Handbook of African Intelligence Cultures" edited by Ryan Shaffer provides a comprehensive exploration of intelligence cultures in Africa, covering all African countries. The book aims to introduce African intelligence services to students and serve as a reference text for scholars. It offers diverse perspectives and methodological approaches, with contributions from historians, political scientists, sociologists, and experts on specific countries. The book highlights the influence of government, politics, history, and civil-military relations on intelligence services in Africa. It also addresses common threats faced by African countries, such as global power competition and nonstate actors. Overall, the book emphasizes the diversity and complexity of African intelligence cultures and the need for further research in the field. [Extracted from the article]

More than 80 percent of world trade is transported by sea. Maritime piracy negatively affects international maritime transport and trade. The aim of the study is to analyze maritime piracy attacks between 2015-2022 and during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) period. In the study, a literature review, main reasons and statistics for piracy and armed robbery attacks, international efforts to combat maritime piracy were examined and maritime piracy attacks were analyzed in 2015-2022 and the COVID-19 period. The results of the main findings are as follows; the most piracy attacks occurred in 2015, the most attacks were occurred in March-April-May majority of attacks occurred between the hours 24: 00-04: 00, the most attacks occurred in South East Asia, the most types of attacks against to ships was boarded. Marshall Islands-flagged ships were the most attacked. There is a weak statistical relationship between the piracy attacks by months and regions and between the piracy attacks by years and type of attacks. There is no statistical relationship between other variables.

This article discusses the impact of illicit markets on global peace, development, the environment, health, and justice. It identifies various factors that have enabled the growth of illicit markets, including technology, globalization, demography, mobility, inequality, and conflict zones. The article emphasizes the need for a multilateral solution to combat organized crime and illicit activities. It also highlights the importance of research and analytics methodologies, such as behavior analysis, criminal profiling, and sentiment analysis, in disrupting illicit markets. The article concludes by presenting four primary domains of research in this field: digital drug markets, network interdiction models, human trafficking analytics, and maritime piracy analysis. [Extracted from the article]

Shipping is the backbone of international trade and oil companies want their oil tankers to arrive safely. The safety and security of international shipping of crucial elements such as oil has always been important aspect in the landscape of piracy. The implications of piracy attacks are linked with loss of cargo or personnel, economic and environmental catastrophe. Despite maritime piracy being a major concern to international trade, no comprehensive study considers the causing factors and spatio-temporal patterns that influence the choice of attack areas. Thus, this research expands our understanding on the areas where piracy mainly occurs, and its underlying causes. To achieve these objectives, AHP and spatio-temporal analysis applied by using data from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The results indicate that territorial waters are preferable areas; thus, pirates prefer to attack the ships close to the coastline fewer times near ports, and rarely in international waters. This is in line with the spatio-temporal analysis results that show that pirates except for the Arabian sea prefer to hit close to the coastline of countries that face political instability, lack of properly functioning government and extreme poverty. Moreover, pirates in certain areas are influenced by the activity and the information from other pirates, which can be used as tool from the authorities e.g., derive information from pirates that have been arrested. Overall, this study contributes on the literature of maritime piracy, and it could be used to enhance security and build tailored defense strategies in perilous water areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the role of quarantine stations as sites of creation and disruption of Mediterranean borderlands. It considers the early history of the "new lazaretto," the maritime quarantine station created in Ancona, a city in the Papal States, after Pope Clement XII declared the city a free port in 1732. Big and beautiful, the new lazaretto was built on an artificial island and marked Ancona's cityscape. This essay reconstructs how it functioned as a dynamic border space where concerns about disease transmission were addressed through the deployment of practices of environmental and sensory control. It argues that the new lazaretto embodied a liminal environment that was established at the crossroads of medical, economic, religious, and political entanglements and reflected the geopolitical dynamics of the eastern Mediterranean world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the European Union (EU) has rapidly emerged as a maritime security actor on the international scene. Its maritime policy portfolio spans a wide range of activities, from fighting 'blue crime' such as piracy and human smuggling to protecting the marine environment. The EU's capacity to secure its vital shipping routes, protect its critical maritime infrastructure, and safeguard its interests at sea are today also seen as key prerequisites of the EU's strategic autonomy. This article breaks down the notion of maritime security actorness, asking whether and to which extent the EU is emerging as a strategic actor in this area. Empirically, it adds to the burgeoning discussion on the EU's role in the global maritime arena. Conceptually, it seeks to advance the understanding of the EU security actorness by examining its maritime dimension and providing a versatile conceptual framework that can be applied to other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]