Daniel
Madsen
Professor
Shirk
POL
331
10/1/17
The Rise and Fall of Somali Piracy
It is unbelievable to think that
such a small organization would cause such a stir in global security over such
a short span of time. Throughout the last twenty years, piracy off the coast of
Somalia plagued media headlines and caused many people to shake their heads and
asked how this could happen in such modern times. Somalia, a failed state, has
a corrupt government that enables piracy. In return, they have been rumored to
receive a cut of the stolen money and ransom. Surprisingly enough, piracy actually
began as fishermen defending their territory from foreign ships exploiting
their coast’s lack of a coast guard. Origins like these are the reason why
local Somali villagers and pirates personally feel as if their criminal
mischief is justifiable. To study deeper into the reasons of piracy, background
knowledge of Somali circumstances must be introduced first.
Fishing is one of the largest
industries in Somalia. Because of such success that the country had experienced,
they formed trade partnerships with countries such as Italy and Iraq. However,
civil war plagued the nation and as a result their navy was disbanded. The
disbanding of the Somali navy was one of the worst things that could have
resulted globally from the civil war. Without a navy, the coast began to run
rampant with danger and crime. This consisted of foreign vessels operating
illegally in their seas, thus overfishing the coast and ruining the Somali
economy. The formation of piracy was a result of fighting back what was initially
theirs. However, this justification evolved into an excuse for excessive crime
on the sea.
Due to dangerous travel in such a
popular area of cargo traffic, many nations have come together to combat piracy
in the Gulf of Aden. In 2007, the United Nations Security Council adopted
Resolution 1838, an act that required ships travelling through that area to have
military personnel on board. While this decision definitely helped combat
piracy and was a step in the right direction, it attempts to solve the problem
from the wrong side. This is comparable to a patriarchal society combatting
sexual assault by teaching women self-defense. While the numbers may drop because
of teaching, it still is not solving the root issue of men raping women. The
same thing goes towards the problem of piracy. While having military personnel
on ships is great for combatting piracy, it still does not get to the root of
the problem, and the question that needs to be asked is, “Why are they
pirating?”
The United Nations deciding to arm ships
was taking the easy way out of combatting piracy. When a failed state shows so
much turmoil internally, it needs help. If it were not for piracy, the world
would simply not care about Somalia. We would have no idea about their civil
war, their well-being, their terrorist-run Islamic state, and all other plaguing
corruption. As a much more fortunate society that we live in, I feel as if it
is our duty to bring relief to Somalia and bring their country to stability.
Somalia is a beautiful nation that has a lot to offer without piracy.
Hey Dan! Great post! You brought up some great ideas that really makes the reader think. I really liked the whole idea that we need to get to the root of the problem as opposed to quick fixes that really don't fix anything. These quick fixes end up costing more in the long run because more fixes are needed, and as an end result, not much has been fixed. Your comment about how the turmoil in the state needs to be addressed is a great example of how human security is extremely important to national security, that the turmoil could very likely be the root cause of piracy. Overall, great topic and great ideas. 10/10. A+.
ReplyDeleteDanny! Daniel Madsen. Dan M. My man. You really address the issues and other unknown details surrounding Somali piracy. I wrote on it as well in my blog post and it's cool seeing what else you mentioned. Do you believe the United States should directly intervene? That'd be pretty cool. But how do we increase security on the ocean which is pretty big and hard to cover it all? Those are the big questions you know? Glad to hear what you think! See you at the family reunion!
ReplyDeleteDanny boy, loved the post. Having always wanted to be I pirate I really relate to this. I like how you added the background to Somali piracy such as how the Navy was actually disbanded and attempted to show how the Coast Gaurd are important (debatable). It was also good that you stated what the "root" of the problem was.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with your main idea, I think your conclusion/solution is a bit wishy washy. The idea that it is up to us to fix Somalia, and the implication of this that we are able to in the first place, seems hasty. While we may be able to do more as a country, it is certainly not up to us to fix. Piracy in Somalia is, quite frankly, too small an issue for us to prioritize. Furthermore, if for some reason it became a priority, this issue is far too big for us to sweep in and clean up and move on (what attempts of this in the past have gone well anyway?). I definitely agree that the root causes need to be addressed here-but do we really even know what they are? And if so, how are we supposed to address them? Do we have the expertise, the knowledge, the resources?
ReplyDeleteI don't believe it is up to the United States to fix this issue, and I don't believe that we are even capable of doing so.