This important and original contribution to the global security debate asks how maritime forces can act as international instruments to promote peace and security in the post-Cold War era. Michael Pugh and his co-authors (Jeremy Ginifer, Frank Gregory, Eric Grove and Francoise Hampson) present an entirely innovative approach to the use of sea power, and a framework for maritime security operations authorised by the United Nations.

The book explains how maritime peacekeeping and peace support activities have expanded since the end of the Cold War, with operations ranging from naval observers in Cambodia to sanction enforcement patrols in the Adriatic Sea. It examines the distinctive roles of maritime forces in past naval peacekeeping operations, and asks, in the light of post-Cold War theories of peacekeeping, if the time has come for the international community to create a standing UN naval force.

Specific topics covered include multinational constabulary roles for drug interdiction, piracy suppression, disaster relief and pollution control. The all-important political and financial factors and the prospects for a regional approach are fully addressed, as are operational issues, management and the legal framework provided by the Law of the Sea and the International Maritime Organisation.

1. Maritime security and peacekeeping will be invaluable to all students of international relations and anyone with an interest in the development of UN peacekeeping, naval power and maritime security.