The piracy threat has made it back on the international security agenda. Pirates in speed boats attacking oil tankers seem to combine all the qualities of today’s “wicked” problems: they are non-state actors, are tied to failed states, could potentially cooperate with terrorists, are a potential threat to energy security and are linked to transnational challenges like environmental degradation or organized crime. But is piracy really one of the major scourges of the 21st century and should NATO reserve a prominent place for piracy in its strategic thinking? Or is piracy rather a nuisance, limited to a certain region and hardly to be fought successfully by military force?
These questions are tackled in a new Research Paper published by the NATO Defense College.
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Collège de Défense de l'OTAN