Prospects for multi-level governance of maritime security in the Sulu-Celebes Sea: lessons from the Baltic Sea region

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses the prospects for the implementation of multi-level governance of maritime security in the Sulu-Celebes Sea Tri-Border Area, noting the interdependencies within its terrestrial-maritime environments. It draws on the lessons of multi-level governance practices in the Baltic Sea region. A multi-level governance framework of maritime security in the Baltic Sea region is elaborated to identify the key characteristics of multi-level governance that are important prerequisites for an integrated (land-sea) nexus in maritime security management. Through the examination of the functionality of these characteristics in the Sulu-Celebes Sea, the paper discusses the implications of the existence, and or the lack, of these main characteristics of a functional multi-level governance and assesses the prospects of such governance within the Sulu-Celebes Sea. The ‘common seas’ nature of the semi-enclosed sea and the entanglement of transboundary, land-maritime dimensions of the maritime security challenges imply the need for a distinct form of governance, for which the Baltic Sea region can provide lessons learnt.

KEYWORDS:

• Maritime security
• multi-level governance
• Sulu-Celebes Sea
• Baltic Sea
• semi-enclosed seas
• coastal communities

Acknowledgements

This article is part of the comparative research on multi-level governance of the Sulu-Celebes Sea and the Baltic Sea region conducted by Mr. Indra Alverdian between May 2019- April 2019 and part of research conducted by the professors Joas and Tynkkynen under the Strategic Research Profile The Sea at Åbo Akademi University. The authors would like to thank the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) University of Wollongong, Australia, the Strategic Research Mobility Programme at Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland and the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia for making this research possible. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from Prof. Stuart Kaye, Dr. Chris Rahman, and Dr. Neil Andrew from ANCORS for making the conduct of the research by Mr. Indra Alverdian possible.

Declaration of interest statement

The funding bodies have no role in the design of the study and the collection analysis and interpretation of the data; the writing of the paper or the decision to publish the material. Thereby, there are no potential conflicts of interest attached with this paper.

Notes on contributors

Indra Alverdian is a PhD Candidate from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Australia. He is a Scholarship Awardee of the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia (LPDP Kemenkeu RI) and a lecturer at the International Relations Programme President University in Indonesia.

Nina Tynkkynen is an associate professor in governance under the Sea Profiling Research Area at Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.

Marko Joas is a Professor of Public Adminstration at Abo Akademi University in Turku, Finland. He was during 2017 - 2020 a member of the steering board for the Sea Profiling Research Area as well as a co-author of the book ‘Governing a Common Sea: Environmental Policies in the Baltic Sea Region’.