Maritime Security

Below is a visualization and description of some of the most significant incidents of political violence in Nigeria from September 22 to September 28, 2018. This update also represents violence related to Boko Haram in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. These incidents will be included in the Nigeria Security Tracker.   var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1538399900588'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement);   September 22: Police killed three robbers in Bali, Taraba. September 22: Pirates kidnapped twelve crew members of a Swiss ship off the coast of Port Harcourt, Rivers. September 22: Police killed three robbers in Obafemi Owode, Ogun. September 23: Bandits kidnapped seven in Bungudu, Zamfara. September 25: Sixteen miners were kidnapped in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna. September 26: Boko Haram suffered "heavy casualties" (estimated at twenty) when they were repelled by Nigerian soldiers in Mobbar, Borno.  September 26: Boko Haram attacked a civilian convoy in Dikwa, Borno. There were no casualties.  September 28: Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed twelve civilians and Nigerian soldiers killed five civilians in Jos North, Plateau. 

As the Donald J. Trump administration develops its Indo-Pacific strategy, some big questions remain unresolved about not only the initiatives it will undertake, but the basic geography as well. For example, the Indo-Pacific as the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy defines it covers a geography quite different from that understood in India as the larger Indo-Pacific incorporating the entirety of the Indian Ocean. In order to realize the potential of this strategy, the Trump administration will need to reconcile differences over what constitutes this region, internally align the segmented U.S. bureaucracy to adequately address this expansive area, and determine what might be productive joint initiatives. For more on the challenges, and some of my recommendations on what can be done, see my new Council on Foreign Relations Expert Brief, “The U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy Needs More Indian Ocean.” My book about India’s rise on the world stage, Our Time Has Come: How India Is Making Its Place in the World, was just published by Oxford University Press in January. Follow me on Twitter: @AyresAlyssa. Or like me on Facebook (fb.me/ayresalyssa) or Instagram (instagr.am/ayresalyssa).