Naval War College Review Volume 69 Article 9 Number 3 Summer 2016 Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects and Challenges, by Kamal-Deen Ali Ian M. Ralby Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Ralby, Ian M. (2016) "Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects and Challenges, by Kamal-Deen Ali," Naval War College Review: Vol. 69 : No. 3 , Article 9. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol69/iss3/9 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ralby: Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects an BOOK REVIEWS PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects and Challenges, by Kamal-Deen Ali� Leiden, Neth�: Brill, 2015� 372 pages� In Maritime Security Cooperation in the Ali begins, rather helpfully, by exploring Gulf of Guinea, the legal adviser to the the meaning of several terms� First and Ghana Navy, Commander Dr� Kamal- foremost, he seeks to provide a work- Deen Ali, argues that the world should ing definition of the “Gulf of Guinea,” pay attention to the maritime domain of as the phrase has been used for years West and Central Africa� The same argu- without any real consistency to describe ment can be made about his book, as the maritime region of West and Central Ali not only provides the most in-depth Africa� Ultimately, the author expands analysis of maritime security prospects the range of states included in this and challenges in the Gulf of Guinea to important region� At a minimum, Ali in- date but offers conceptual frameworks cludes the twenty-five member states of for maritime security that are applicable the Maritime Organization of West and around the world� Furthermore, the Central Africa, all of which are members lessons that can be extracted from the of either the Economic Community of Gulf of Guinea experience—both the West African States (ECOWAS) or the problems of insecurity and the efforts Economic Community of Central Afri- to address them—can serve as help- can States (ECCAS)� But he notes ful guidance for approaching similar that Rwanda, which recently rejoined challenges elsewhere� Notwithstand- ECCAS, should not be included, as its ing the relative absence of credible strategic interests do not align with the literature on maritime security in West maritime domain of West and Central and Central Africa, this book exhibits Africa� On the other hand, he argues that the rigor of first-rate legal scholarship Mauritania, which left ECOWAS in 2000 combined with the intimate knowledge and is a member of the Arab Maghreb gleaned from an insider’s perspective, Union, should be included, as it is an making it undoubtedly a seminal work important partner for maritime security on both the Gulf of Guinea specifically cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea� This and maritime security in general� argument constitutes the first of many Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2016 1 NWC_Summer2016Review.indb 143 6/8/16 3:58 PM 144 NAVAL WAR COLLEGENaval REVIEW War College Review, Vol. 69 [2016], No. 3, Art. 9 novel contributions the book makes to approach aligns maritime security more the context-specific dynamics of mari- closely with development than defense� time security in West and Central Africa� Conceptually, Ali charts new territory Beyond defining the Gulf of Guinea, on several fronts� First, his analysis Ali makes a convincing case for the of the theoretical underpinnings of region’s global strategic significance� The security lead him to the conclusion that, economic contribution of the region to although the literature is largely silent in the global energy, mineral, and agricul- doing so, the theoretical approaches to ture markets makes the national security “security” in general can be applied to concerns of states in West and Central the maritime realm as well� He writes, “It Africa concerns for the entire world� is argued that since the ocean environ- Even after the decline in the price of oil, ment serves the political, economic, and Ali’s case remains unimpeachable, as his strategic objectives of States, the dynam- arguments for the region’s geostrategic ics that surround the pursuit of all inter- relevance go far beyond oft-repeated state interests will similarly be reflected statements about Nigerian oil in par- in the maritime realm�” This notion of ticular� With details about the region’s the activities, interests, and challenges of contribution to the global supply of the maritime domain being interrelated cotton, cacao, and fish, one need never with the broader national interests sug- mention oil to recognize the economic gests that a state’s maritime territory is a significance of the Gulf of Guinea� microcosm of the state itself� Thus mari- These arguments lend further weight to time security cannot be severed from the examples and analyses of the main national interests—security, develop- portions of the book, but the concep- ment, governance, etc�—and is, indeed, tual features of the book are perhaps a fundamental component of them� its most significant academic feature� Ali’s second departure from the lit- In reviewing the literature on maritime erature involves taking an evolution- security, Ali exposes some significant ary approach to maritime security� By gaps, in both coverage of issues and ex- examining how maritime security has isting conceptual frameworks� He begins developed from being a matter merely his analysis by asking a few important of transportation security into a field questions: What is security? What is posing integrated, multisectoral chal- maritime security? And for whom is lenges today, he shows how the concept maritime security? In dissecting some of maritime security has changed and of the existing works on maritime broadened over time� Furthermore, he security, he comes to advocate a “hu- contends that states’ maritime concerns man security” approach, but compiles are context specific rather than uni- elements from a number of different versal� Partly for this reason, he also sources� He thus settles on maritime asserts that there is no real consensus security as being a composite of societal on the elements of maritime security, security, environmental security, food allowing for a wide conception of what security, and economic security� One is included� He seems to suggest that could argue, therefore, that this the best approach in the literature is in the 2008 UN secretary-general’s Oceans https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol69/iss3/9 2 NWC_Summer2016Review.indb 144 6/8/16 3:58 PM Ralby: Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects an BOOK REVIEWS 145 and the Law of the Sea report, which work is therefore warranted, applying lists (section V[B]) the main maritime Ali’s conceptual framework to other security threats as “piracy and armed contexts besides the Gulf of Guinea� robbery against ships”; “terrorist acts As significant as this book’s theoreti- involving shipping, offshore installations cal contribution may be to the aca- and other maritime interests”; “[i]llicit demic literature on maritime security in trafficking in arms and weapons of mass general, the book’s contribution to the destruction”; “illicit traffic in narcotic discourse on maritime security in the drugs and psychotropic substances”; Gulf of Guinea is impossible to express “[s]muggling and trafficking of per- adequately� As a Ghanaian naval officer sons by sea”; “[i]llegal, unreported and and legal adviser, Ali is able to delve unregulated fishing”; and “intentional into the subject matter in a way that and unlawful damage to the marine few could� The majority of the book is environment�” He later assesses this dedicated to the region-specific analysis, set of threats, along with others, in the and this is truly the heart of the work� specific context of the Gulf of Guinea� Given the resource constraints of West The third main departure is Ali’s novel and Central Africa as well as the trans- framework for conceiving of maritime national nature of many of the threats, security� His framework, elaborated it is not surprising that cooperation throughout the book, has three ele- is seen as the overarching answer to ments: (1) identifying the maritime addressing maritime insecurity in the security threat path; (2) applying the region� But the architecture of maritime threat path to geopolitical and geostra- security cooperation is still very much tegic features; and (3) implementing a under construction� Ali meticulously three-layer, three-indicator approach� dissects the challenges, internal and The maritime security threat path is a external, that plague the progress of bit more than merely a list of generic or effectively using cooperation as a means even specific maritime security threats� of countering threats� His personal It examines both the activity and the ef- familiarity with the processes afoot fects of any given threat� This approach takes the chapters on both regional ap- allows for the contextualization of the proaches and international partnerships threats versus geopolitical or strategic beyond the capacity of normal academic priorities� The third element of the scholarship� Indeed, one could