The South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean: Comparative perspectives

Join us on Wednesday 21st June 2023 for a full day event at King’s College London – workshop and conference - where we will be examining the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, providing comparative perspectives on regional security, peace and cooperation and blue economies.

Our event is focused on Brazil and India, two rising powers with growing maritime concerns. We will be discussing the promotion of knowledge production on regional security, peacebuilding and blue economies in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. This project is led by four PhD students, with specialisations on: the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZOPACAS), maritime security, peace-building. naval cooperation, piracy and non-state-actor involvement, illicit activities, international trade and nuclear non-proliferation.

Panels examining the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean will be composed of senior specialists in the fields of international relations, international security and defence studies.

This will be a great opportunity to further knowledge, learn and network!

The event is open for internal and external guests.

Workshop: Understanding Regional Security and Peace-Building in the Global South (BA, MA and PhD Students)

Introduction and welcoming remarks: 14:00-14:20

Panel 1) South Atlantic: Peace, Security and the Blue Economy: 14:20-15:20

Panel 2) Indian Ocean: Peace, Security and the Blue Economy: 15:20-16:20

Coffee and comfort break: 16:20-16:30

Panel 3) The South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean: A Comparative Perspective on Regional Security, Peace and Blue Economies – 16:30-17:30

Keynote and closing remarks: 17:30-18:00

Maísa Edwards

Maísa Edwards is a final year Joint International Relations PhD student at King's College London (KCL) and the University of São Paulo (USP). Her research topic explores Brazil and the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZOPACAS) and Brazilian diplomatic and defence relations in the South Atlantic (1986 – 2013). Maísa has presented on her PhD research both in the UK and internationally, such as in Germany, Belgium and Brazil.

She is supervised at King's by Dr Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho and Prof Anthony Pereira and at USP by Prof Rafael Villa. Maísa holds a MSc in Brazil in Global Perspective from King's and a BA (Hons) French and Spanish from University College London. She has taught undergraduate students, in the capacity of a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), in the Departments of International Development and War Studies at King’s. Her research interests are in Brazilian defence and foreign policy, peace-building, zones of peace, maritime security, defence diplomacy and South American-African Cooperation.

Mauro Bonavita

Mauro Bonavita is a PhD student in International Relations at King's College London, working on the Maritime Security of the Indo-Pacific region, and India's maritime strategy in the Indo-Pacific. He is a member of the King's Indo-Pacific Research group, and International Visiting Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation (New Delhi, India).

João Noritomi

Joao Noritomi is a PhD student at King’s College London and a Brazilian Navy Officer, currently holding the rank of Commander. He holds a MA in Naval Sciences from the Brazilian Naval War College. His research at Master’s level focused on the relationship between natural resources wealth and the occurrence of internal conflicts in West Africa. His dissertation was entitled ‘The paradox of misery amidst the oil wealth: an analysis of the militancy in the Niger Delta’.

As a Naval Aviator, Commander Noritomi served from 2011 to 2018 as a flight instructor and from 2020 to 2021 as a flight safety analyst. Cdr Noritomi is a member of King’s Latin American Security Research Group and is currently researching the effectiveness of international naval intervention against piracy in Africa, specifically around the Horn of Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea. His research interests are in Maritime Security includes piracy and armed robbery against ships; illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing; and jurisdictional waters monitoring & control.

Diogo Viana Grion Velasco

Diogo Viana Grion Velasco is a PhD student in Maritime Studies at the Brazilian Naval War College (BNWC), has a Master's degree in Analysis and Management of International Policies and a degree in International Relations from the Institute of International Relations of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio ).

From 2017 to 2019, he worked as a researcher at the BRICS Policy Center (PUC-Rio) and at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in the Human Rights and Business Group. From August 2019 until December 2022 he worked as a consultant on the project "Visualizing and improving value chains in the Amazon", which was developed by the Federal University of Amazonas in partnership with the University of Leeds and supported by FAPEAM and the Newton Fund.

He is also a member of the research group on the economy of the sea (GEM). He has a special interest in the areas of International Trade, Development Cooperation and International Political Economy in the themes of Blue Economy, Ocean Economy, Energy, Defense Economy, Ocean Governance and Sustainable Development.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Council Room (Room K2.29), King's Building, King's College London, Strand Campus, London, United Kingdom