Security at sea, cyber space, and the governance of the global commons

This paper examines the development of maritime governance across centuries, exploring how this has shaped the approach of the international community to the management of modern risks in the maritime sector today, and the implications for the nascent challenge of cybersecurity. The paper highlights the concept of the sea as a ‘global commons’, an idea that dates back to at least the seventeenth century and Hugo Grotius’ Mare Liberum. From an early stage, modern thinking on the sea as a commons has been underpinned by commercial and political interests. During the nineteenth century, British policymakers attempted to cultivate international law at sea through multilateral conferences as well as state practice, in order to bolster neutral rights and safeguard the British Empire and its vast merchant marine. However, the First World War demonstrated Britain’s continued willingness to close the seas when it deemed it necessary in order to secure its national and imperial interests.