Systemic maritime insecurity in the Red Sea calls for cooperative governance rooted in historical trade routes and regional power balances
Original framing: “Saudi Arabia calls for 'comprehensive' regional navigation security” — Middle East Eye
Bedouin navigators have long used stellar constellations, wind patterns, and seasonal fish migrations to traverse the Red Sea safely, embedding ecological knowledge into route planning. This traditional system includes customary rules that limit fishing during spawning seasons and designate sacred zones where vessels must reduce speed. Ignoring this knowledge removes a proven, low‑impact framework for preventing collisions and overfishing.
The Saudi appeal for 'comprehensive' navigation security masks a web of structural drivers — arms flows that fuel proxy wars, climate‑altered sea‑lane dynamics, and the marginalisation of indigenous and coastal livelihoods.
By reviving historical precedents such as Ottoman maritime regulations and integrating Indigenous Bedouin star‑based knowledge, a more resilient governance model emerges. Cross‑comparison with Indian Ocean rim initiatives like the Djibouti Code of Conduct shows that cooperative information sharing and joint marine protected areas can build trust more effectively than unilateral militarisation. Solution pathways that condition arms transfers on verifiable benchmarks, establish inclusive governance councils, and launch real‑time data hubs directly address the omitted dimensions, offering a systemic route to genuine regional security.