ABSTRACT

The presently observable reality of maritime migrant interdiction is open to a range of readings.1 The main theme I wish to explore is whether maritime migrant interdiction operations signal the rise of a transnational security state.2 This chapter contends that examining maritime migrant interdiction evidences four basic propositions: first, that in response to transnational security threats the state itself is becoming increasingly transnational; second, that the resulting permeability of sovereignty and jurisdiction is most apparent when we examine action by states on the high seas or within the maritime zones of other states; third, that the application of human rights law to high seas operations is, if doctrinally straightforward, frag - mented in practice; and fourth, that the fragmentation of human rights tells us something about the way international relations are increasingly conducted, and the risks those processes create for real human beings.