Maritime Security in South Pacific and the Influence of Big Power Countries by Ir. Ade Muhammad, M.Han http://indonesiadefenseanalysis.blogspot.com Introduction South Pacific is known also as Pacific Islands. It is a sub-region of Asia and consists of 22 political entities of the Pacific Community. They are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Island, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna. From the 22 political entities only nine which are independent states. They are Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Eight of the 22 are overseas territory of one kind or another belonging to external states. The stability and security in those eight territories is guaranteed by the external states. Further five Islands have free association status with the external powers. The external powers which come to the South Pacific are USA, New Zealand, France, and UK. They also give subsidy to the Islands generously. Moreover the citizen from the entities that have free association status may migrate to USA and New Zealand. The sub region is politically, ethnically, geographically and economically diverse. More than 2000 different languages are spoken across the region. As the Pacific Islands, sea or maritime territory becomes an important aspect. Because sea is not only the tool to connect one island to the others, but sea also can give income for the people around it. Maritime territory problem also can give impact toward national, regional, and global territory. Maritime security in South Pacific will be good support for Asia Pacific maritime security and beyond. Till the beginning of the 90s, we were used to address maritime security, considering the only military threat, and our vital interests and territorial integrity. But after the end of Cold War, globalization has developed, as well as local crises. And globalization brought the sea being the main way of exchanging goods throughout the world. Then maritime security operations have developed in a way to mainly face non-military threats. A major concern for the Pacific Islands region is that organized criminals, under increasing pressure elsewhere, may move their operations to regions where they perceive a lack of deterrence capability. That happened in this region potentially disturbing the region stability and even global stability. Maritime security in South Pacific focuses on transnational crime such as traffic in small arms, illegal movement of people and drug trafficking. Besides that, piracy on the sea and illegal fishing also become common problem. Moreover, transnational crime is susceptible to terrorist activities, so it needs attention too from international community. In order to solve the maritime security problems in South Pacific, several big countries get involved to give the contribution. US together with Australia, New Zealand, and France help these island nations build their maritime security. Problems How does the South Pacific overcome their maritime security problems? Why the big countries out of the South Pacific get involved in the solving of maritime security problems? Conceptual Framework Security is one of the important issues in the world, because it needed for development. Beside of that, security also becomes the right for human. Security also important because underpin almost everything that people do. Lack of security can have devastating consequences. There are several definitions of security. One come from Arnold Wolfers who said security is any objective sense, measures the absence of threats to acquire values, in a subjective sense, the absence of fear that such values will be attacked. In the security studies, there are two points of view, which are traditional view and non-traditional view. The traditional view identifies military security at the level of the state as being central to security studies. It is a narrow conception which sees military conflict as the defining key to security and it was common during the Cold War when issues of high politics dominated national security agendas. The non-traditional view identifies a range of issues at various levels as being security issues and therefore central to security studies. It is a wide conception which sees issues such as the environment, the management of scarce resources, population growth, disease, transnational organised crime and economic recession as security issues. Originally, these issues were considered low politics, but they rose to prominence on national security agendas during the 1980s and 1990s. Because of the wider field, security becomes more prominent issue. To solve the security problem, need to understand the condition and the threat. Five dimension analyze from Barry Buzan can be used in order to understand how does the South Pacific solve their maritime security problems. Barry Buzan argues that the term security consists of five dimensions: lMilitary dimensions: involves the military capability/military build up of one state both conventional and non-conventional, military ideology, personnel etc. lPolitical dimensions: Involves the efforts to preserve political process, political system, and state’s ideology. lEconomic dimension determines access to resources, market, finances and provide the decisive basis for political influence and military power. lSocietal dimension including cultural values is less tangible but no less significant for security. It provides the atmosphere in which the values will affect the behavior of one state in the international system. lEnvironmental dimension concerns the maintenance of the planetary biosphere as the essential support system on which all other human enterprises demand. Level of analyzes can help to analyze how far the issue give impact. By levels, objects for analysis defined by a range of spatial scales, from small to large. Levels are locations where both out comes and sources of explanation can be located. Theories may suggest causal explanation from one level to another or bottom up from human nature to the behavior of human collectivity. In the International Relation study, the five most frequently used level of analysis are: 1. International system. It is meaning the largest scope of interacting or independent units that have no system level above them. 2. International sub-system. It is meaning groups of units within the international system that can be distinguished from the entire system by the particular nature or intensity of their interactions with or inter dependence on each other. It may be regional scope. 3. Units. It means actor composed of various subgroups or communities which are sufficiently cohesive and independent to be differentiated from others and to have standing at the higher level. It may be states or nations. 4. Subunits, meaning organized groups of individuals within units that are able to affect the behavior of the unit. It may be bureaucracies and lobbies. But in some analyzing, this level often not be used. 5. Individuals, meaning the bottom line of most analysis in the social sciences. To keep the existence of its nation state in the middle of threats, need to know well about internal and external condition. Analyzing from those conditions will make easier the arrangement of proper strategy for South Pacific. Internal and external conditions could be analyzed by using SWOT. SWOT technique was introduced for the first time by Albert Humphrey who leads research project in Stanford University in 1960 and 1970. SWOT is an acronym for strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat. Strength is positive tangible and intangible attributes which included internal factor. Weakness means factors that are within an organization’s control that detract from its ability to attain the desired goal. Opportunity is External attractive factors that represent the reason for an organization to exist and develop. Threat is external factors, beyond an organization’s control, which could place the organization mission or operation at risk. The organization may benefit by having contingency plans to address them if they should occur. After make list of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat, need to make SWOT matrix in order to know about the correct strategy that may to be taken. There are 4 alternatives of strategy as the result of the matrix. They are SO, WO, ST, and WT. SWOT Matrix Form External Internal Opportunity Threat Strength SO Strategies ST Strategies Weakness WO Strategies WT Strategies SO strategy: This is a profitable situation because organization has opportunity and strength to be maximized. ST strategy: In this situation, organization faces several threats but it remains have internal strength. WO strategy: in this condition, organization facing big opportunity but also faces some internal weakness. WT strategies: this is a disadvantage situation because organization has several internal threats and weakness. Analysis Maritime security problems not only faced and become responsibility of one country. Because maritime security often linkage with transnational crime, which involved more than one country. Moreover what happened in one country could give effect to the other. In the case of maritime security problem in South Pacific, the level of analysis will help us to understand well, how far the problem threat. Level of analysis Non-military Security Military Security Political Economical Social Environmental Military Individual X V V X X National V V V V V Regional V V V V V International V V V V V Political Dimension Maritime security problem can threat politically. Internal violence happens in several entities in South Pacific. If maritime security in unsecure condition, it makes weapon smuggling massively. The illegal weapon can support the riot in one country. Directly or indirectly, internal violence which happens in one country can give effect to the others. It can increase conflict escalation, and further decrease national stability. For example ethnic conflict which happened in late 1990s in Solomon Islands. The villagers on Guadalcanal who felt they were not benefiting from the economic development of the capital, Honiara, attacked and drove out several thousand people from the neighbouring island of Malaita over a period of months. It raises the tension in the regional level. Traditionally, South Pacific has been considered a safe haven for cruising boats. In recent years a number of incidents have been reported in the area. A small number of these are pirate attacks, where one vessel hijacks another in high seas or coastal waters, while the majority is robberies and armed robberies. If compared with other sub region like South East Asia and South Asia, only small number incident which happen on the sea territory of South Pacific. But it is still an issue in certain parts of the Asia Pacific. Pirates activity appears because lack of law enforcement. Corruptions in every level of governments give impact and also become the impact of the piracy on the sea. And corruption is a continuing problem, with political leaders often claiming traditional leadership status should exempt them from normal rules on accepting gifts, distributing government funds to their political supporters, or even facing scrutiny on these matters. South Pacific also known as heaven for transnational crime because decreasing of drug smuggling and arm smuggling. Drug smuggling is rise in Samoa massively. There is a route of drug smuggling in South Pacific. Increasing transnational activities shows that government has less attention to that issue. It contributes to political instability. Political instability in one country could impact the regional and also international stability. Economical Dimension Most of countries in the South Pacific region are developing country. Only Australia and New Zealand which categorized as developed countries. Island states are heavily aid dependent. This creates issues with donor nations, such as Australia, New Zealand, France, and USA. Besides bilateral aid, some multinational organizations such as United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Asia Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank (WB) also give some aid. Foreign aid takes a part in the development process of South Pacific states. Regional economic growth increased to 3.5 percent in 2004. Growth averaged 2.8 percent between 2005 and 2007. Opportunities to work abroad are unevenly spread across the Pacific, but remittances have grown dramatically, with annual average growth of 36 percent from 2000 to reach US$ 425 million in 2005. Most countries are showing good macroeconomic management, but microeconomic performance is mixed. The GDP increasing in the Pacific in the nineties was at around the rate of population growth, which is 2 to 3 percent per year. After negligible growth in the early years of this decade, growth increased to 3.5 percent in 2004. And growth averaged 2.8 percent between 2005 and 2007. If compared with economic growth in Caribbean and Sub Saharan, Pacific Islands still left behind by progress. As the maritime region, fishing is an important activity to support life of Pacific people. Fishing becomes a source of government revenue, employment, and export earnings. Half of more than two millions of tuna are caught annually in Pacific tuna fisheries, with a landed value in excess of US$ 3 billion. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is very serious issue. Actually there are no statistics on global IUU fishing in South Pacific. But if it happens continuously, it must be make countries which depend on fisheries, such as Kiribati, suffer financial loss. Related with piracy on the sea, it is very bad for business. It gives unimportant added cost for the shipping company, quay facility, producer, distributor, retailer, and customer. Ships which face piracy will be have high cost insurance because the owners loss their ship content because of piracy and should pay higher insurance cost. Moreover the seller should compete with the pirate which sells goods in black market. High cost economy because of piracy will be obstacle for investment. Unpredictable situation make investor have no willingness to invest. It cause unstable economic condition not only in one state, but also in regional level, and further in international scope. Social Dimension Weapon smuggling which happen massively trigger increasing number of people who keep and get access on the weapon. Weapon is not new one tool and the people who use it are increase. The using of weapon can be social culture so it makes conflict getting warm easily. Social illness also rises because of drug smuggling. People can find prohibited drug easily, so it dangers young generation. Beside of that the number of people with the HIV/AIDS also potentially increases. The risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is higher for seafarers than for many other community groups as a result of patterns of sexual behaviour common among seafarers. When these seafarers return home, their wives and other sexual partners are at high risk of also contracting STIs. Transnational crime in several forms is increase and spread in more political entities. It means that criminal number also getting higher and often horrific. For instance, weapon smuggling is high in Papua New Guinea. It contributes the higher crime rates in that country, mainly in urban area Port Moresby, Lea, Goroka, and Mount Hagen. Maritime security problem will trigger regional and furthermore global social illness. Environmental Dimension Illegal fishing and pirate fishing as one form of maritime security problem usually catch fishes without regard the rule and environment, shortly, they do destructive activities. IUU fishing leaves communities without much needed food and income and the marine environment smashed and empty. It is disturbingly easy to become a fishing pirate and even easier to evade capture. It is more than an issue of theft. Environmental destruction goes hand in hand with pirate fishing. Because they operate, quite literally, off the radar of any enforcement, the fishing techniques they use are destroying ocean life. Sometime many ships use long lines baited with thousand hooks lined up in a row and pulled behind the boat. Anything that sees the bait as food is caught. It can catch young fish until big ocean creatures like shark and whale. It is a natural threat for national, regional, and global scope. If this activity did not stop, the natural balancing will be disturbed. Some ocean creatures will be disappearing. Military Dimension Traditionally, maritime security problem is viewed from military dimension. Maritime threat usually will be countered by military. That is why maritime states try to strengthen their naval forces. Transnational crimes in all forms, piracy, and maritime terrorism are threats for military. It is not only become threat and responsibility to overcome for one nation but also the region and global actors. The build of military dimension may establish by 4 other dimensions.
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