United States antipiracy policies: Between military missions and private sector responsabilization

Abstract

This chapter analyses the antipiracy policies introduced by the United States (US) in the face of the substantial resurgence of piracy occurring in the first decade of the 21st century, with a specific focus on the wide Gulf of Aden region. The analysis assesses how much the US is able and willing to defend the freedom of the seas. The main conclusion is that, thanks to burden sharing and private sector engagement, the US has been capable of providing such a protection at limited cost. In the frame of the theory of hegemonic stability, this means that the US has been able to contain overstretching, while still delivering a global common good. The chapter is structured as follows. Section 1 introduces basic elements of international order at sea, linking them to US antipiracy operations in historical perspective. Section 2 analyses the US maritime sector of the late 2000s/early 2010s, with a specific focus on the US merchant fleet and on the impact of piracy off the Horn of Africa on it. Section 3 summarizes the US approach to maritime security in the post-9/11 world. Section 4 considers the US role in military antipiracy missions, while Sect. 5 focuses on US engagement with the private sector meant to "responsabilize" it for the delivery of its own security. The final section of the chapter summarizes the main findings and draws the conclusions.