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17051. Are Closed Areas the Solution for Fisheries Management?

Author:
Cheryl Rita Kaur
Publication Date:
02-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Maritime Institute of Malaysia
Abstract:
There is strong scientific consensus that closed areas contribute towards increased abundance of fish, protect against the risk of fishery collapse, and guard against the shortcomings of other environmental management tools. Studies at some areas have shown that protected spots experienced a rapid increase in fish numbers. While closed areas may offer promise for the conservation and management of marine fisheries and their habitats, there are however, mixed views on their benefits. Critics argue that most commercial species are too mobile to benefit from closed areas; whereas fishermen worry that it would reduce their fishing grounds, and thus affect their catches. Cheryl summarises that well enforced closed areas have great potential to maintain or enhance fishery catches and increase sustainability, but they cannot be considered as the solution to the problem of dwindling global fisheries stocks. The potential in improving fisheries management towards better yield will be limited unless the roots of management failures are addressed. These hugely requires reductions in fishing mortality, better enforcement strategies, improved design and selection of suitable sites as fisheries closed areas, and increased transboundary cooperation among countries on migratory fish species.
Topic:
Environment, Maritime Commerce, Natural Resources, and Food

17052. All Roads Lead to the Indian Ocean

Author:
Sumathy Permal
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Maritime Institute of Malaysia
Abstract:
The Indian Ocean (IO) is the world’s third largest ocean with an area of 73.5 million sq. km or 28.5 million sq. miles. It is strategically located adjacent to Asia in the North, Australia to the East, Antarctica to the South, and Africa to the West. IO forms two large indentations in South Asia, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The ocean can be accessed through several chokepoints i.e., from the West via Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Madagascar, from the North via the Bab el-Mandeb at the end of the Red Sea; the Sunda and Lombok-Straits and the Ombai-Wetar-Straits and the Straits of Hormuz at the exit of the Persian Gulf, from the East via the Straits of Malacca and, by way of geographical extension, to the South China Sea.
Topic:
Security, International Law, International Trade and Finance, and Maritime Commerce
Political Geography:
Africa, China, Malaysia, Asia, Arabia, and Kobani

17053. A 100 Years since the Titanic: The Costa Concordia Grounding

Author:
Mansoureh Shahryari
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Maritime Institute of Malaysia
Abstract:
The initial Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention which dates back to 1914 was a direct consequence of the sinking of the Titanic two years earlier a century ago. The 100-year anniversary of the tragedy of the Titanic is the theme for the World Maritime Day 2012 proposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). According to the former Secretary General of the IMO, Mr. Mitropoulos, this theme would provide an opportunity to take stock of improvements in maritime safety over the 100 years since the sinking of the liner, and examine whether the lessons drawn from one of the most costly (in terms of human lives lost) accidents have been applied.
Topic:
International Law, International Organization, Treaties and Agreements, and Maritime Commerce

17054. Unleashing the Nuclear Watchdog: Strengthening and Reform of the IAEA

Author:
Trevor Findlay
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation
Abstract:
The IAEA is the principal multilateral organization mandated by the international community to deal with nuclear issues. Established in 1957 and based in Vienna, it is essentially the nucleus around which all other parts of the global nuclear governance system revolve. The IAEA has attributes and roles that cannot be matched by other organizations, groups of states or individual states, no matter how powerful or influential: It is a standing, multilateral organization, with near universal membership and a science and technology orientation. Its nuclear safeguards system and associated verification activity, including in the service of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and nuclear weapon-free zones, is unparalleled.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Natural Disasters, Governance, and Nuclear Power

17055. Danish Foreign Policy Yearbook 2012

Author:
Hans Mouritzen (ed) and Nanna Hvidt (ed)
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Book
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
The Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs analyses Danish foreign-policy priorities in 2011. The troublesome situation for the global econ-omy, including an uncertain outlook for the future, was the most impor-tant backdrop for Danish foreign policy in that year. Low growth prospects, combined with high levels of public debt, had wide foreign-policy implica-tions, amongst other things for the agenda of the EU and as a result also for the preparations for the Danish EU Presidency in the first half of 2012. This article therefore takes its point of departure in the state of the global economy, the state of the European economies and the challenges that this presented to the EU. It then goes on to discuss the emerging world powers, the Arab Spring, the world's conflict areas, security policy, Denmark's north-ern neighbours and various global issues, such as development cooperation, green growth and human rights. Finally, some reflections are offered on the core tasks of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a time when there is increased pressure on Denmark's public finances and the world influence of Denmark's traditional partners and allies is waning.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, and Diplomacy
Political Geography:
Afghanistan, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Arab Countries, Denmark, and North Africa

17056. The P5 +1, Iran and the Perils of Nuclear Brinkmanship

Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West have had their share of dashed expectations, but even by this peculiar standard, the recent diplomatic roller coaster stands out. Brimming with hope in Istanbul, negotiators crashed to earth in Baghdad, a few weeks later. That was not unexpected, given inflated hopes, mismatched expectations and – most hurtful – conviction on both sides that they had the upper hand. But if negotiations collapse now, it is hard to know what comes next. Washington and Brussels seem to count on sanctions taking their toll and forcing Iran to compromise. Tehran appears to bank on a re-elected President Obama displaying more flexibility and an economically incapacitated Europe balking at sanctions that could boomerang. Neither is likely; instead, with prospects for a deal fading, Israeli pressure for a military option may intensify. Rather than more brinkmanship, Iran and the P5+1 (UN Security Council permanent members and Germany) should agree on intensive, continuous, technicallevel negotiations to achieve a limited agreement on Iran's 20 per cent enrichment.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Nuclear Weapons, Treaties and Agreements, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Nuclear Power
Political Geography:
Europe and Middle East

17057. Bangladesh: Back to the Future

Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Bangladesh could face a protracted political crisis in the lead-up to the 2013 elections unless Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government changes course and takes a more conciliatory approach towards the political opposition and the military. In December 2008, following two years of a military-backed caretaker government, the Awami League (AL) secured a landslide victory in what were widely acknowledged to be the fairest elections in the country's history. The hope, both at home and abroad, was that Sheikh Hasina would use her mandate to revitalise democratic institutions and pursue national reconciliation, ending the pernicious cycle of zero-sum politics between her AL and its rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Three and a half years on, hope has been replaced by deep disillusionment, as two familiar threats to Bangladesh's democracy have returned: the prospect of election-related violence and the risks stemming from an unstable and hostile military.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Political Violence, and Democratization
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and Asia

17058. Arc of Convergence: AQAP, Ansar al-Shari'a and the Struggle for Yemen

Author:
Christopher Swift
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
CTC Sentinel
Institution:
The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract:
THE MAY 21, 2012, suicide attack on Yemeni soldiers parading in Sana`a's al-Sabin Square marked a turning point in Yemen's struggle against al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and its subsidiary, Ansaral-Shari` a. Coming two weeks after Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's pledge to purge terrorists from “every district, village, and place,” the perpetrators cast the bombing as a retaliatory strike. “The primary target of this blessed operation was the defense minister of the Sana`a regime and his corrupt entourage,” proclaimed Ansar al-Shari`a's Madad News Agency. “It came in response to the unjust war launched by the Sana` a regime's forces in cooperation with the American and Saudi forces.”
Topic:
Regime Change
Political Geography:
Yemen, Arabia, and Sinai Peninsula

17059. The Military Along the Security-Development Frontier: Implications for Non-traditional Security in the Philippines and Thailand

Author:
Aries A. Arugay
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS)
Abstract:
The militaries of developing countries have often gone beyond the mission of external defence, to perform unconventional roles ranging from disaster relief and economic management to law enforcement and internal security. This paper focuses on development missions carried out by the armed forces of the Philippines and Thailand in and out of conflict zones, and provides an analysis of the causes behind the re-emergence of such missions in recent years. Based on a comparison of the two countries' experience, this paper argues that the military's renewed involvement in development work stems from two factors: their significant role in political succession; and the increasing salience of concepts linking security and development, in particular, the notion of non-traditional security. The effectiveness of such projects could, however, be hampered by the lack of a clear, well-implemented national development framework and by systemic weaknesses in security sector governance. This paper thus argues that, in order to address the various non-traditional security threats in the two countries, security sector reform would have to be implemented and civilian oversight over security institutions improved.
Topic:
Security, Development, and Governance
Political Geography:
Israel, Asia, Philippines, and Thailand

17060. Liberia: Time for Much-Delayed Reconciliation and Reform

Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Despite marked improvements, numerous grievances that plunged Liberia into bloody wars from 1989 until President Charles Taylor left in August 2003 (originally for exile in Nigeria) remain evident: a polarised society and political system; corruption, nepotism and impunity; a dishevelled security sector; youth unemployment; and gaps and inconsistencies in the electoral law. The November 2011 election was the country's second successful postwar voting exercise but exposed its deep fault lines. The re-elected president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, needs to use her relatively weak mandate to focus on reconciling a divided nation.
Topic:
Security, Democratization, Poverty, Natural Resources, Fragile/Failed State, Youth Culture, Governance, and Law Enforcement
Political Geography:
Africa