The African Union, the African Peace and Security Architecture, and Maritime Security

The content of African maritime security as an emerging policy field is contested. It can be located anywhere between traditional security politics (related to piracy, maritime terrorism and unregulated fishing), developmental and environmentalist concerns, and efforts to regain economic sovereignty over African territorial and offshore waters. As a result, since approximately 2005 the institutional place of maritime security in continental politics has been in flux. This article traces the origins of the debate on maritime security in Africa. The main concern here is to examine the relationship between the nascent African Peace and Security Architecture on the one hand and maritime security and safety politics on the other from both an institutional and a political perspective. Maritime security represents one of a number of peace and security related policy fields in the making that also allows for insights into the division of labor emerging among various stakeholders, such as the African Union Commission, Regional Economic Communities, and African Union member states, and into the related challenges of policy coordination and harmonization.