Piratical attacks have become more frequent, violent, costly and increasingly threaten to undermine order in the international system. Much attention has focused on Somalia, but piracy is a problem worldwide. Recent coordination efforts among states in South East Asia appear to have helped in the area, but elsewhere piracy has expanded. Interestingly, international law has long recognized piracy as a crime and provided tools for universal suppression, yet piracy persists.

1: Constructing Pirates, Piracy, and Governance: An Introduction, Michael Struett and Mark Nance Section 1: Constructions through Law 2: Cicero's Ghost: Rethinking the Social Construction of Piracy, Harry Gould 3: A Global War on Piracy: International Law and the Use of Force Against Sea Pirates, Eric Heinze 4: Maritime Piracy and the Impunity Gap: Domestic Implementation of International Treaty Provisions, Yvonne Dutton Section 2: Constructions through Institutions 5. Security Communities, Alliances, and Macrosecuritization: The Practices of Counter-Piracy Governance, Christian Bueger and Jan Stockbruegger 6. Conflicting Constructions: Maritime Piracy and Cooperation under Regime Complexes, Mark Nance and Michael Struett 7. Frame, Humanitarianism, and Legitimacy: Explaining the Anti-Piracy Regime in the Gulf of Aden, Kevin McGahan and Terence Lee Section 3: Rethinking the Construction of Global Governance for Maritime Piracy 8. The limit(ation)s of International Society? The English School, Somali Pirates and the burdens of interpretation, Brent Steele 9. Conclusion, Bruce Cronin