Seapower, Thalassocratie, puissance maritime, pseudo-concept ou notion théorisable?

2017 – Annuaire de Droit Maritime et Océanique, Nantes, 2017, Tome XXXV, pp.33-76

What is a seapower? And, what are its constitutive elements? Frequently, the doctrine use that term to qualify such, or such, State considering its relation to the sea; nevertheless, when speaking about seapower, nobody has exactly the same perspective and no one gives a definition of that fundamental term. In fact, there isn’t any clear definition of a seapower in dictionaries, neither about a maritime power. The only definition given is in a strict historical view about the thalassocracy (!). This being so, is seapower a concept?

In this contribution, beyond the semantic viewpoint, the author will theorize the concept of seapower through the ancient thalassocracies, modern sea powers at time of sailing ships and contemporary maritime powers using nuclear threat. In that purpose, he bases its researches principally on the MAHAN’s pioneering theory and REYNOLDS’ writings. The author will also explain the origin of the language embarrassment surrounding the seapower concept by the ‘bad’ influence of geopolitical theories and, specially, the MACKINDER’s model.

KEYWORDS : Seapower, Thalassocratie, Puissance maritime, Maritimité, PAGÈS, MAHAN, REYNOLDS.

Quid iuris du blocus maritime de Gaza ?

mai 2015  – Annuaire de Droit Maritime et Océanique, Nantes, 2015, Tome XXXIII, pp.103-156

Some years ago, the violent boarding of the Mavi Marmara in the international waters off Gaza Strip, conducted by the “Shayetet 13 unit”, the Israeli Navy Special Forces, has led to a worldwide outcry. Shocked by the ‘spectacular’ armed force deployed during this military operation against civilians, the International Community has directly and resolutely condemned “in the strongest terms the outrageous attack by the Israeli forces against the humanitarian flotilla of ships [including the Mavi Marmara], which resulted in the killing and injury of many innocent civilians from different countries”.

Surprisingly, despite this international and unanimous condemnation, no one State has been really concerned about the legality of Gaza Strip naval blockade as such; even not the Commission to examine the Maritime Incident of 31 May 2010, known as the ‘Turkel Commission’, which on January 2011 published the first part of a voluminous investigation report.

In this paper, the author, on the base of Mavi Marmara incidents, delivers an analysis of the legality of Gaza Strip blockade with a special regard to the lex specialis of blockades, the International Humanitarian Law and, more particularly, the Law of Naval Warfare. Before that, in a first part, the author gives, on the one hand, a definition of a naval blockade in support of historical great blockades; and, on the other hand, he determines, by an overview of the Law of Naval Warfare, the corpus iuris governing naval blockades.

KEYWORDS : Gaza Strip, Naval Blockade, Mavi Marmara, San Remo Manual, Humanitarian Ship, Turkel Commission

La loi française de lutte contre la piraterie maritime à l’épreuve des mesures pionnières adoptées par la Belgique

juin 2011  – Le Droit Maritime Français, Juin 2011, 726, pp.544-551

Un an après l’adoption en Belgique de mesures pionnières de lutte contre la piraterie maritime, la France a enfin emboité le pas, ce 5 janvier 2011, par l’adoption d’une loi «relative à la lutte contre la piraterie maritime et à l’exercice des pouvoirs de police de l’Etat en mer», modifiant essentiellement la loi n°94-589 du 15 juillet 1994.

Destinée à combler les lacunes du droit français, mises en exergue à la suite des attaques des voiliers Carrés d’as et Tanit, cette nouvelle loi entend surtout apporter une réponse pertinente au fléau de la piraterie, un fléau en nette recrudescence au cours de ces deux dernières décennies, au large des côtes asiatiques et africaines.

Cadres allogènes de gouvernance maritime intégrée ; Partim I – De la gouvernance maritime nippone

2011 – European Transport Law Journal, Vol. XLVI, n°1, 2011, pp.29-60

The guidelines for an Integrated Approach to Maritime Policy, published in a communication from the Commission in June 2008, under the title “Towards best practice in integrated maritime governance and stakeholder consultation”, noticed that “Japan’s ‘Basic Act on Oceans Policy’ of 2007 provides for an integrated approach to maritime affaires. It established a ‘Maritime Policy Headquarters’ under the responsibility of the Prime Minister. The Chief Cabinet Secretary and a newly assigned Minister for Ocean Policy will serve as Headquarters Deputy Chiefs”. 

Searching to maximize the delay of the EU in the institutionalization of integrated maritime governance at European scale, the author presents in this opus the innovative Japanese Ocean Policy framework, mainly marked by a high level of political consensus practice. Organized on a triptych, the author successively studies Japanese Basic Act ‘preparatory’ works, the “Basic Ocean Act” and the “Basic Plan on Ocean policy”, including pragmatic approach of this new maritime policy.