In this video, Gilang Kembara discusses maritime insecurities in Southeast Asia, focusing on issues impacting nations such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. As a “user state,” Singapore relies on maritime stability, and threats like piracy, armed robberies, and terrorism have significant effects on its economic and political environment. Collaboration between regional countries is essential to address these challenges.

Gilang Kembara explains that these insecurities are driven by several factors, including economic pressures, with some communities resorting to targeting lucrative vessels. Societal and political factors also play a role, with maritime terrorism being motivated by ideological and political goals.

Kembara highlights the complexity of achieving a common understanding of maritime security across Southeast Asia, a region split between maritime nations like Indonesia and the Philippines, and mainland countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. Despite their differences, all these nations acknowledge the importance of controlling maritime resources to ensure economic stability. However, non-state actors and maritime crimes continue to undermine governmental control over these resources.

This video is part of the Center’s series on Collective & Human Security.