Exploiting the Commons: Risks to shared Global Spaces

In this commentary, BIPSS Research Assistant Jannatul Toba Jhumu examines the strategic exploitation of shared global spaces, arguing that the greatest risk to the global commons is no longer overuse but deliberate control and coercion by states. She highlights how critical domains from maritime chokepoints and transboundary rivers to energy systems and critical mineral supply chains are increasingly being weaponized to exert geopolitical influence. Toba contends that this shift is reshaping global governance, weakening rule-based frameworks, and normalizing coercive practices, with far-reaching implications for economic stability, security, and political autonomy. She warns that unless stronger enforcement mechanisms and cooperative frameworks are restored, the global commons risk transforming from shared lifelines into contested arenas of persistent instability.