Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book covers a much broader set of Indonesia's unilateral measures and maritime cooperation arrangements. It compares Indonesia's participation in all maritime security cooperation to address maritime terrorism and armed robbery against ships. In total there are twenty-six cooperation arrangements dealing with maritime terrorism and armed robbery against ships, capturing both cooperation and non-cooperation. Indonesia is a critical state in maritime security. Almost half of the world's traded goods and oil navigates through the key Indonesian straits of Malacca, Sunda and Lombok. Indonesia's participation in maritime agreements informs analytical and empirical debates on the study of international cooperation. By focusing on Indonesia's policies to deal with maritime threats, the book also provides a fresh perspective on the varying cooperation instruments that a developing country can use to address the maritime security threats.