In recent years, the increasing public debate about the maritime environment in the 21st century, particularly with regard to global warming, has led to the presumed security policy implications for the entire maritime environment increasingly becoming the focus of political discussions. Today more than ever, the maritime security policy environment is characterized by changing threats and new, different types of risks that primarily affect Germany, Europe and North America. Further geopolitical tensions are to be expected due to eroding state structures in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, increasing multipolarity and a resurgence of nationalist tendencies in parts of the world. In light of these security policy trends, the maritime space will play a fundamental role as a central power and order projection space. Threats such as classic interstate conflicts that have direct security and economic consequences, for example for Germany and the EU or for NATO, cannot be completely ruled out. These are primarily characterized by border and territorial waters conflicts and disputes over exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continue to represent a direct maritime threat scenario. In addition to clearly identifiable threats, however, more and more indirect risks are endangering maritime security. These include maritime terrorism, political, economic, ethnic and religious sub-state conflicts and state collapse in the immediate vicinity of straits and resource sources, as well as attacks on merchant and passenger ships by pirates, criminal groups or terrorists. Economic, energy policy and ecological developments are also increasingly jeopardizing maritime security. Climate change, environmental destruction, illegal migration and illegal arms and drug trafficking as a form of organized crime are risks that threaten Europe and Germany indirectly or directly from the sea. The dependence of modern industrial and service societies on free sea routes, as well as the increasing importance of critical infrastructures for energy production and energy sources at sea, also represents a major potential vulnerability. As a rule, this can only be countered with projection measures The theoretical framework of the course, in order to be able to comprehensively examine the topic of maritime security and classify it in terms of political science theory, is provided by the neorealist school of thought and spatial theory in a geostrategic context. The neorealist approach is used to examine the actions of actors in the international system in the maritime environment. Since the maritime environment consists exclusively of spaces, predominantly sea areas and coastlines, it makes sense to analyze these in social science spatial theory, here with a focus on geostrategic spaces. By integrating the two different theories into the context of the maritime environment, participants in the module will be able to grasp and describe the essential elements of the maritime environment and maritime security in the 21st century from a political science perspective. The course is taught in English. Schließen