The Politics of Global Ocean Regions

Christian Bueger, Elizabeth Mendenhall, Rebecca Strating

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN:
  9783031889837
• eBook ISBN:
  9783031889844
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: International Relations
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The oceans are not just vast expanses of blue, but dynamic political spaces shaped by complex regional dynamics. In this fascinating study, the authors advance a novel analytical framework for the study of the politics of global ocean regions. They shed new light on the complex interactions in ocean spaces such as the Arctic, Indo-Pacific or Indian Ocean. Written by leading experts in different ocean regions, the book demonstrates how important, yet diverse and complex regional maritime politics are. Its emphasis on the emergence, organization, and effects of global ocean regions provides a useful framework for guiding future research. The book will be essential reading for students and analysts interested in regionalism, the oceans, and the governance of global commons.

Table of contents

• Palgrave Studies in Maritime Politics and Security
• The Politics of Global Ocean Regions
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Notes on Contributors
• 1. Introduction: Understanding Global Ocean Regions
• 2. The Limits of Marine Regionalism in Global Ocean Governance: The UNEP Regional Seas Programme
• 3. Pragmatic Spaces and the Contestation over the Western Indian Ocean
• 4. The Blue Pacific Ocean Region
• 5. The Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace?
• 6. The Indo-Pacific: A Maritime Crossroads Where the Euro-Atlantic ‘West’ and the Asia–Pacific ‘East’ Meet, and World Order Is Transformed
• 7. Bridging the Governance Gap in the South Atlantic Ocean
• 8. The Arctic (Ocean) Region: Emergence, Organisation, Effects and Unravelling?
• 9. The Southern Ocean: Constructing a New Global Ocean Region