Capitalism and the sea: Sovereignty, territory and appropriation in the global ocean

This paper introduces the term ‘terraqueous territoriality’ to analyse a particular relationship between capitalism as a social formation, and the sea as a natural force. It focuses on three spaces – exclusive economic zones (EEZs), the system of ‘flags of convenience’ (FOC), and multilateral counter-piracy initiatives – as instances of capitalist states and firms seeking to transcend the geo-physical difference between firm land and fluid sea. Capital accumulation, it is argued here, seeks to territorialise the sea through forms of sovereignty and modes of appropriation drawn from experiences on land, but in doing so encounters particular tensions thereby generating distinctive spatial effects. By exploring the articulation between sovereignty, territory and appropriation in the organisation of spaces where land meets sea, the article seeks to demonstrate the value of an analytical framework that underlines the terraqueous nature of contemporary capitalism

Territory, authority, expertise: Global governance and the counter-piracy assemblage

This article presents an empirical study that aims to draw out core elements of an assemblage theory of global governance. Situating assemblage theory in the third, practiceoriented generation of global governance research, I argue that it provides us with a featurerich toolbox sensitive to the routine matters of international cooperation, the role of artefacts, and the vitality of territories of governance. To showcase the advantages of an assemblage approach, I study a paradigmatic case: the organization of the international community’s fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. This effort has not only been very successful, with no major piracy incident reported from 2012 to 2016, but also a ‘miracle’ that can be explained by the close cooperation of all actors involved. I zoom in on one of the core components of this cooperation, the so-called Best Management Practices (BMP), which organize state-industry relations. I present a detailed study of the making of the BMP and the territory it established, and show how it became a core tool of governance. The case study documents the analytical power of assemblage theory for understanding global governance