On the Seas of the Indo-Pacific

The seas of the Indo-Pacific – the Indian Ocean and its approaches, the western Pacific Ocean and the waters connecting the two – are at the centre of the global trading economy. The trade networks that cross the seas, through waters that are over-controlled and contested, or uncontested and under-controlled, move in and out of legality as they traverse international boundaries and encounter different states’ regulations and enforcement capabilities. At some point in their voyage, much of Ind…