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Michael van Ginkel is currently conducting research on maritime security in Georgia as a Black Sea Fellow for the Middle East Institute. The position is funded through the U.S. State Department Title VIII Grant, which is designed to support independent, policy-relevant research abroad. Michael developed his expertise in Black Sea Security as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade, a Think Visegrad Fellow at the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, and an Honorary Fellow for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Russia, East Asia, and Central Europe. While abroad, he organized security conferences with high-level military and civilian stakeholders, authored maritime security policy briefs, and lectured on pressing international security challenges. Prior to working in Europe, Michael developed his specialization in maritime security while conducting research for the Stable Seas Program. The program advised government agencies and international organizations, including the United Nations office of Drugs and Crime and the International Organization of Migration, on maritime security. His work includes the Maritime Security Index, the Violence at Sea Maritime Terrorism Atlas, and numerous maritime threat assessments, regional reports, and open-editorials.
Georgia’s major seaports form a vital link in the transit of commerce via the Black Sea, but they are threatened by local and transnational involvement in illicit seaborne trade motivated by high income inequality, poverty, and population displacement. Enhancing maritime security in this geostrategic South Caucasus transit state aligns with the strategic interests of the U.S. and NATO.
