Sinsunwal, Sharad

Abstract
This paper examines the adequacy of navies in policing the ‘commons’ in an increasingly globalised maritime environment. It argues that navies are inherently disadvantaged in securing the globalised maritime environment, primarily on account of the seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between their necessarily Westphalian character and the globalised nature of the oceans. While this does not appreciably impact their primary role as protectors of sovereignty in state-on-state conflict, it considerably affects their secondary role of maritime policing. The paper goes on to examine the manner in which navies have transacted practically with the challenges posed by maritime globalisation.
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