Multinational counter-piracy operations: how strategically significant is the Gulf of Guinea to the major maritime powers?

Abstract

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea regularly exceeded that of the Gulf of Aden between 2000 and 2007. But the major maritime powers established counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden without replicating the same in the Gulf of Guinea. Since 2004, theUnited States has closely monitored counter-piracy operations in the Malacca Strait after a failed earlier attempt to materially provide such services. Why are theUnited States and other maritime powers interested in the Gulf of Aden and Malacca Strait? If the Gulf of Guinea states would allow these powers to establish a counter-piracy task force, does the region have the strategic heft to attract these powers? The search for answers to these questions informs this study. The study, which is essentially comparative, synthesizes and analyzes existing quantitative and qualitative data. It reveals that the strategic importance of the Gulf of Guinea is minor compared to the Malacca Strait and the Gulf of Aden. Therefore, the thesis urges the Gulf of Guinea states to search for regional solutions that would materialize improvements in maritime regime governance, security, and development.