Patricia Schneider

The Robin Hood Narrative: A Discussion of Empirical and Ethical Legitimizations of Somali Pirates

The pirates of Somalia pose a major challenge for the international community, both economically and morally. Somali pirates try to legitimize their actions by reference to a number of arguments that appeal to the international community. Allegedly, the illegal fishing and waste dumping in Somali waters were the triggers for piracy. Hence, the pirates want to protect their coasts. These various strands form the so-called legitimacy Robin Hood narrative. In this article, this narrative is critically examined. The analysis includes a discussion of justice theories and related claims based on the works of John Rawls and Thomas Pogge. This is followed by a discussion of the justification of violence using Nicholas Fotions irregular just war theory.

German maritime security governance: a perspective on the Indian Ocean Region

Abstract Besides the high number of attacks by Somali pirates, terrorists have threatened to disrupt Western maritime trade and oil and gas supplies in the Indian Ocean Region. This case study of German maritime security governance aims to examine these threats faced by Germany, and German countermeasures and preparedness. The German economy relies heavily on its international sea trade and Germany is home to the worlds biggest container shipping companies. On one hand, authorities and stakeholders have been eager to improve risk assessment and implement international agreements. On the other hand, the different interests of ship-owners, seafarers and insurers, as well as a lack of agreement between the different ministries, are major challenges for German maritime security governance. Germany chooses to act within the international context concerning maritime security, but generally not in a leading role. However, maintaining a secure Indian Ocean region is paramount to ensuring its own economic security.

Regulation of Private Maritime Security Companies in Germany and Spain: A Comparative Study

The use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) has become an increasingly popular measure to counter maritime piracy. This article examines how two established maritime nations, Germany and Spain, have approached the regulation of maritime PMSCs. The article demonstrates that there are similarities but also significant differences between the two regulatory systems and concludes that the governance frameworks that emerged are tailored to the needs of each state. While Germany underwent a long process to establish a sophisticated licensing scheme specifically designed for maritime PMSCs, Spain swiftly applied the framework that governs PMSCs active on land to those companies operating at sea.

Maritime terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean Region

Terrorist attacks have been carried out at sea and using the sea by nationalistseparatist groups, leftist extremists and Islamist fundamentalists. Prominent cases in the Indian Ocean region include al-Qaeda’s attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and on the French tanker Limburg in 2002, as well as Lashkar-e-Taiba’s use of a maritime approach in its terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008. Other terrorist groups that have been active in the maritime realm in the Indian Ocean include LTTE (Sri Lanka) and Al Shabaab (Somalia). Despite the gravity of these attacks and the potential for terrorist groups to continue using the relatively less-regulated maritime realm, the phenomenon remains relatively understudied. Indeed, over the past decade, much of the scholarly discussion on maritime security in the Indian Ocean has focused on piracy and armed robbery at sea. National and international responses to the two maritime security issues in the Indian Ocean have varied widely as well, highlighting not only the difficulty of addressing the issues per se but also the lack of a shared framework or institution in the region with both the mandate and the capacity for addressing both phenomena. The international community has so far responded to maritime terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean with a mix of legal and regulatory frameworks and cooperation agreements such as SUA, ISPS and C-TPAT, as well as joint and independent naval responses (coalition task forces under the aegis of Operation Enduring Freedom, EU NAVFOR Atalanta) and United Nations Security Council resolutions on piracy. The effectiveness of these measures is difficult to assess, particularly in regard to the less-frequent phenomenon of terrorists’ use of the maritime realm. What can be done is to look at some cases as well as a range of responses to identify the breadth and diversity of the challenges, as well as the span of tools available for national and international policy-makers to use when combating maritime terrorism and/or piracy in the Indian Ocean. This special issue has its origins in a panel on maritime security that took place at the April 2012 International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention in San Diego, California. The panel aimed to draw attention to the concept and phenomenon of maritime terrorism (with a focus on the Indian Ocean) and review the international countermeasures and preparedness to overcome it. What was discovered during both the writing of the papers and the discussions at the panel was that the issues of, and responses to, maritime terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean are sometimes intertwined. To complement the papers that were presented at the panel, we sought additional contributions from established scholars of relevant geographical and thematic fields: Douglas Guilfoyle, Stig Hansen and Martin Murphy. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region Vol. 8, No. 2, December 2012, 107 109

Regulating Private Maritime Security Providers

This special issue examines how flag states with national registers have approached the regulation of private security providers that offer armed protection for merchant and fishing vessels against pirate attacks. The first article, by Carolin Liss, provides the background and theoretical framework for this special issue, and the following contributions discuss specific case studies. Birgit Feldtmann deals with the question of which obligations exist to assist pirates in distress. She discusses the master’s obligations in postincident situations under international law and how these are enforced in a national context, in this case through the legislation of the Danish flag state. It reveals that, as is often the case, the question is not directly addressed in the regulations on the use of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP) at the flag-state level. Coming to the country-specific case studies, Eugenio Cusumano and Stefano Ruzza begin with Italy and its dual approach, where new legislation permits the use of state forces paid for by shipowners, as well the use of PCASP when state forces are unavailable. This case is not unique, as Belgium and France have adopted a similar approach and the Italian case study provides valuable insights into the evolution and implication of such maritime security policies. Focusing on two other countries with important economic maritime sectors that have been subject to pirate attacks, Annina B€urgin and Patricia Schneider examine the regulation of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in a comparative study between Spain and Germany. It reveals noticeable differences between their tailored approaches, such as a sophisticated licensing regime in Germany versus a less specific

Erfahrungsberichte von Betreuern

Jetzt lese ich schon die 100. Abschlussarbeit und immer wieder sehe ich die gleichen Fehler. Es beginnt schon mit Fehlern auf dem Deckblatt: Der Titel ist falsch geschrieben, mein Name auch schon wieder oder – kaum zu glauben – die Studierenden vergessen ihren eigenen Namen auf dem Deckblatt. Dann blattere ich zum Inhaltsverzeichnis und finde dort Fehler in der Gliederungssystematik. Wenn ich anschliesend die Einleitung lese, erwarte ich eine Zielsetzung. Diese fehlt oftmals oder ist nicht prazise formuliert. Und wenn ich dann noch wortliche Zitate ohne Quellenangabe finde, bin ich entsetzt daruber, dass der Studierende nicht gelernt hat, richtig wissenschaftlich zu arbeiten.

Frieden in verschiedenen Wissenschaftsdisziplinen

Die Arbeit am Frieden bewegt sich im Spannungsfeld von Macht, Herrschaft, Technologie, Recht, Moral und Religion. Der Beitrag zeichnet daher Entwicklungen des Friedensbegriffs in der Philosophie, der christlichen Theologie, dem Volkerrecht, der Wirtschaftswissenschaft, den Internationalen Beziehungen sowie den Naturwissenschaften nach und stellt Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede in den verschiedenen Wissenschaftsdisziplinen dar.