Showing papers by "Christian Bueger published in 2016"

Doing Europe: agency and the European Union in the field of counter-piracy practice

Abstract: The practice turn provides new avenues for core questions of international relations and European Studies. This article draws on a practice theoretical account to shed new light on the constitution of agency in global politics. An understanding of agency as achievement that requires significant practical work and the participation in international fields of practice is developed. Drawing on the case of the field of counter-piracy practice and the European Union’s (EU’s) work to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia, it is shown how the EU achieved the position as a core actor in the field. A detailed discussion of the EU’s work in interrupting and knowing piracy, in building capacity, and in governing piracy is provided.

Pirates, Drugs and Navies: Why the Western Indian Ocean needs a new security architecture

Abstract: International operations against piracy in the Western Indian Ocean are due to wind down. Some major external navies will probably remain, but the region’s states will have to adjust to their new role in managing the challenging security environment. In this article, Christian Bueger and Jan Stockbruegger examine the options for cooperation in this volatile region.

Experimenting with Global Governance: Learning Lessons in the Contact Group on Piracy

Abstract: We tend to think of pirates as an ancient menace or the characters of romantic Hollywood dramas. But today, piracy is a serious scourge for mariners around the world. The most pressing problem for many years has been piracy off the coast of Somalia. Pirates hijacked hundreds of vessels and turned the Gulf of Aden into one of the most dangerous waterways in the world. By 2015 the problem had been more or less under control thanks to the substantial efforts of international actors. Naval missions, arrest, surveillance and capacity-building programmes in the Eastern African region have all contributed to a decline of piracy (Bueger 2015a). When Somali piracy escalated from 2008 the problem gave birth to an expanding field of international counter-piracy governance coordinating these activities (Bueger 2013). This field of international governance has become an interesting site of experimentation. International actors have tried out various means which are rather unconventional in a world political context. Examples include coordination through new types of informal fora, the innovative use of communication technology for coordination, or the harmonization of arrest, transfer and prosecution policies through legal tool kits (Tardy 2014). These innovations led to a fairly unique and harmonized international response to Somali piracy at the heart of which is an informal global governance mechanism, the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).

Editorial and Mission Statement

Abstract: We are delighted to welcome you to the European Journal of International Security (EJIS), a journal of the British International Studies Association (BISA). We launch at what is an exciting and challenging time for international security studies. It is exciting because the discipline is vibrant, diverse and growing. Theoretically, the past two decades have seen consolidation and innovation. Established traditions of realism and liberalism have proved resilient and adaptive in the face of global change. Constructivism has emerged as an increasingly persuasive and powerful voice in the field. So too have the range of new approaches that fall loosely under the rubric of Critical Security Studies; from critical theory, to feminist and gender theory, postcolonial perspectives, poststructuralism, international political sociology, and securitization theory. Similarly, strategic studies, long unfashionable, is undergoing a renaissance. Promising new innovations, evolutions and perspectives, from practice theory to science and technology studies, also continue to emerge. It is no exaggeration to consider contemporary international security studies to be one of the most powerful engines of theoretical innovation in the discipline of international relations.

Theory Talk #-100: John Dewey (1859–1952) on the Horror of Making His Poetry Public

Abstract: TT: Dear Professor Dewey. Thank you so much for your willingness to participate in this Talk. Theory Talks is an open-access journal, which contributes to International Relations debates by publishing interviews with cutting-edge theorists. It is not often that Theory Talks is able to overcome space-time limitations and conduct a Talk with a departed theorist.