| For the United States, maritime security remains a vital national interest for both national defence and economic reasons. Transnational terrorist organisations, pirates and illicit drug smugglers all have the potential to cause serious economic and defence problems for the United States. Since the American economy relies on maritime trade, the United States must effectively deal with maritime security threats. The main problem for the United States is that it alone cannot defeat the complex threats facing the maritime realm.;The American-proposed Global Maritime Partnership (GMP) seeks to establish a comprehensive global approach to maritime security. Although there seems to be growing international support for the GMP concept, there are important issues that will have to be resolved if the GMP is to become a reality. This thesis examines why the GMP is necessary to support American national security objectives and why there are limits to the creation of an American-proposed maritime security regime.;Key Words: United States Navy, maritime security, terrorism, piracy, naval coalitions, United States defense policy... |
