Why We Pay Attention to Piracy

It is the often the nature of a national security challenge that a government does not have the luxury to prepare specifically for the event that causes it to escalate. But the hostage drama in the Horn of Africa was particularly jarring, coming as it did on the heels of President Obama's breathtaking charm offensive through Europe, Turkey and Iraq. The president was barely airborne, heading home in time for Easter, when Africa managed to stealth its way to the top of the national security agenda. And yet, while he was gone, General Scott Gration visited Darfur to report the absolutely grim truth about Sudan's deteriorating humanitarian situation. A recruitment tape from the Somali extremist group Al-Shabab surfaced this week starring a blue-eyed American jihadist, Abu-Mansur al-Amriki, calling on mothers to send their boys to fight Muslim holy war. Also in the last week, were six armed attacks by pirates whose workplace is the million square miles of open sea beyond the Horn of Africa. Problems in Africa were on a slow simmer this week when finally, they boiled over on the Maersk Alabama.

There is much still to be learned about the taking of the American ship. But it was likely just a matter of time before our number came up in the Indian Ocean's vast shipping lanes. and in Africa. And perhaps inevitable that the "scourge" of piracy would become more so as it became America's problem, too. It is Captain Phillips' misfortune that it came on his able watch. It is also more terrible luck for the millions of recipients of urgent food aid, for whom the cargo of the Alabama was headed. More hunger, more hopelessness and very likely, more piracy. What else is there for them?

This crisis off Somalia will further test new paradigms in diplomacy and international relations. Like terrorists, the pirates are non-state actors, free agents with their own -- probably not political -- agenda. Whom are the FBI interlocutors negotiating with? Do we drop a sack of money on the lifeboat, and hope that Capt. Phillips is returned unharmed, while a couple of pirates return happy and rich to shore or their mother ship and prepare to strike again somewhere else -- tomorrow? What kind of leverage and guarantees do we have in such negotiations? There is no government in Somalia to speak of, and the pirates are self-governing anyway. It is dramatic, challenging - a surprising and odd place for a test of America's strength in the post-Bush world. President Obama wisely kept the details -- if not yet worked out, certainly ongoing -- from the questioning media. If there is a plan in place, it is likely to change -- these negotiations will not be traditional or predictable.

Many interviews over the last days have pointed to the need for stability in Somalia. The State Department's Jun Banda stated in February, "There is no durable solution to the piracy problem off the coast of Somalia without a political solution in Somalia. The lack of security and stability in Somalia is the root cause of the piracy problem." To restore order to Somalia is a huge job, and our attempts to do just that in 2006 largely brought about conditions leading to today's deterioration and lawlessness in the country. Regardless of the national security implications, you have to be deeply optimistic to believe that a failed state can be made whole again. But optimism is our stock-in-trade, so AFRICOM, the US Navy and America's partners in the area are ever hopeful, and mindful of the long, arduous road ahead.

Not only in Somalia. The West coast is more stable politically than the East Coast, though sorely limited in what the Pentagon calls "capacity" (which AFRICOM's mission is to help build). But last year, Nigeria overtook Indonesia for the first time ever in pirate attacks, almost doubling the number from 2007, giving it the second-place spot behind Somalia. It's been almost a month since the last reported pirate attack against one of Nigeria's 3,500 energy installations (most of them of Western companies), but another one will inevitably come. In the Gulf of Guinea, the tactics are frequently the same as off Somalia if the motives are not: fast little skiffs, high-powered weapons, hostage taking and negotiation. But most of the so-called pirate attacks take place in the country's territorial waters or even onshore in the estimated 30,000 square-mile Niger Delta, center of Nigeria's energy-based economy and one of the world's largest and most polluted ecosystems. Militants are fighting for greater regional share in oil revenues, using more violent tactics than pirates on the other coast. But with oil production cut by OPEC and the precipitous drop in the world price of crude oil, human security will worsen, while creating hungrier, more determined, more entrepreneurial and better armed pirates.

Piracy is one of the loudest and most aggressive tactics of the frustrated and disenfranchised, but it is highly lucrative. It will be hard for companies and governments to continue paying these ransoms, and it is risky to retaliate. But the fact that piracy this week finally moved Africa almost to the top of the United States' national security agenda means more broadly that problems there are not as far away as they seem. Darfur, jihadists, piracy, to say nothing of HIV/AIDS, drought and poverty. We ignore Africa's problems at our peril. The question is, diplomatically, where do we start? And then what? The next few days will bring some answers.

Comments

[ThomasMc]

The US Navy was created for the sole purpose of stopping piracy, but - thanks to the Cheney cult - has sat on its thumbs and not done a damned thing about it the last 8 years, so Blackwater could expand its business to protecting ships from piracy. As always, it all boils down to Republican corruption.

[RoloTomassi]

The only real solution to this mess is helping Somalia establish a functioning central government; unfortunately, they don't have any oil...whic­h is probably why most nations [apparently including the US] think it's okay for their coastline to used as a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

They haven't had a function government since 1991...and it does seem a little strange that the MSM is quite conveniently leaving out any historical background on the pirating story, but then again, maybe not; there are some interesting [and apparently forgotten] facts about US & involvement in Somalia in the Wiki article on the Somali civil war:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Civil_War

From the article:

"The incident later became the basis for the book and movie Black Hawk Down. The UN withdrew on March 3, 1995, having suffered more significant casualties. Order in Somalia still had not been restored."

Given that historical refresher, it becomes quite obvious why the US MSM doesn't want to look at this issue beyond the aspect of piracy and what is to be done about it....

[doctordawg]

So, now that the captain is free and uninjured while the pirates are either dead or captured, I can't wait to hear Glenn Beck apologize for questioning our soldier's and president's ability to handle things.

I'm still waiting...

[JerryLevy]

The author says piracy is the act of the disinfranchised and frustrated. That makes me laugh. Piracy is perpetrated by criminals who understand only one thing----power. We must intercept these terrorists and kill them. Once that happens a few times, there will be no piracy problem. Forget UN sanctions and increased aid to Africa. These are common criminals.

[newdates]

I agree

[Arion]

In 1670 the BARBERRY Corsairs were doing the same thing in the English channel, no less. Jefferson had some luck by cannonading the Bey of Tunis, but it was short-lived. I think Yglesias is right: take away the land base and you solve the problem. Only temporarily, but that's not bad

[Bruupo]

Barbary? Bay?

The people of North Africa (descendants of the Phoenicians) had controlled the shipping lanes on the west coast of Africa since before the Roman Empire.

We (Jefferson) shelled them because they were attacking our slave trade, in the shipping lanes of West Africa. They had this habit of taking the crews of slave ships and making them into "Barbary" galley slaves. How Barbaric.

[WilliePilgrim]

Hey! I got an idea...why not go after the fishing fleet that's been overharvesting the coastal economic zone there. Oh, I know they should do it themselves, but obviously they can't and these so-called pirates are more like desperate fishermen whose economic base has been illegally removed while the rest of the world ignored it...under­standably, having other fish to fry. If the costs associated with the current attempts to stop this specific sort of piracy were directed towards protecting the Somali coastal fishing economy, consisting of guys in not too fancy boats; the pirates, remember, we'd probably find the locals invested in their longterm interests, naturally.
Conflating this with international terrorism is a tactic designed to heighten its excitement profile and give the military and the media a chance to look like hollywood heroes.

[TJMil]

We pay attention because they are PIRATES! They aren't doing anything that isn't happening in Mexico three times over but it has an historical appeal that overarches whatever money they are taking, commerce they are impeding or lives that they are ending. Trying to stop kidnappers and hijackers from the hindu kush to south america involves phone taps, paying off sleazy intermediaries, kicking in doors to enabling families, all kinds of ahistorical boring stuff. Chasing down pirates is different because you know somewhere there is a US navy ship captain grimly pacing the quarterdeck, hands clasped behind him and collar turned up against the sea spray trying to plot his next move against those damned PIRATES! "Ready about Starboard Mr. Pritchard! Make fast the Cathairpin and prepare to board, theyre caught in the Doldrums!"

[smileatfear]

These pirates are no different than the gangs roaming the streets of every major (and many minor) American cities. Common criminals, usually from poor and abusive backgrounds, poorly educated and with little hope of any kind of promising future. Don't know what the solution is, but it sure doesn't seem like a military problem, more like something requiring police action and, as in this situation, a SWAT type response. Do whatever can be done to save the hostage(s) but make sure the guilty don't escape.

[1dogs2]

There are reports from people who have spoken with the crew of the American ship that the attempted seizure was a mistake. The pirates didn't realize it was an American ship and would not have attempted to seize it if they had known. Why? With the single exception of Ronald Reagan, the uniform policy of the American government has been to refuse to pay ransom for hostages. Hence, the likelihood of gain from seizing an American ship is perceived as low if money is what you're after -- and that is what Somali pirates are after -- and the likelihood of serious trouble is great.

That isn't to say that others who have a different objective might not adopt the tactic of hijacking ships; only that this particular situation is an anomaly and unlikely to be repeated, at least against ships that are clearly identified as American instead of flying another country's flag.

[headed]

This has not been a U.S. problem since Thomas Jefferson!!!! The very least Obama could do is talk to the American people about it right now. What is it with him not wanting to talk about it. LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHILE WE ARE BUSY MAKING OTHER PLANS. He needs to get wih it.

[henryberry]

The pirate "problem" is not a discrete problem, but part of the larger and growing weave of terrorist and related disruptive actions by small, independent, uncontrollable groups challenging large traditional organizations such as nation-states (in this case the U.S.) and sometimes corporations. The extravagant, showy response of the U.S. now including the involvement of General Patreus (routinely portrayed in the media as a military miracle worker) is a sign of the inability of the U.S. to do anything about the situation and also its being completely unprepared for it. The highly-publicized, hyperbolic, irrelevant, and ineffective response shows the U.S. has learned nothing from the failures of the Iraq War. The U.S. military and leading politicians apparently still believe that shows of "overwhelming force" are the way to deal with such situations. Such shows, however, neither effectively deal with the situation nor deter similar ones from occurring. In fact, such shows increase the probability of their occurrence.

[smileatfear]

I'm not sure this is a "show of force" but more like the police sending in 15-20 SWAT team members when some crazy ex-boyfriend decides to hold his ex-girlfriend's sister hostage. You just want to make sure you have every escape route covered and enough sharp shooters you can get the guy from any angle if you can't talk him out of the situation. There's no way they want these pirates to get away - especially not with the hostage so they're covering every potential avenue of escape.

[henryberry]

I don't think it's a matter of cutting off escape routes. If that was the aim, then the U.S. would need even more warships and smaller, faster ships with armed men or women. Besides, I can't see the pirates taking a ransom payment without the iron-clad guarantee that they will not be captured or killed. I expect the next stage is going to be the pirates negotiating for food or for gas so they can get to shore. I think the hostage is pretty safe with the present captors because he's no good to them dead; and if they kill him after they receive a ransom, that would pretty much put an end to hijacking cargo ships and taking hostages as a source of income. It sounds like you wrote before the latest development: which is the taking of another vessel connected with the U.S. This was done either by other pirates to mock the U.S. by further exposing the limitations of its power in today's world, or perhaps by terrorists (instead of pirates) in an opportunistic attempt to transfomr the situation into a faceoff between the U.S. and terrorists.

[morgan1]

You are too naive and part of the "media" bias. Your slant is still toward the right and biased. The next few days will not provide rational answers to the long term problems of that section of the planet. We have ignored Somalia (As well as other failed States) as they are not our problem. The WH will react as it always does, and has: The big dog on the block with the firepower to back it up. Obama will not be taking us into the light, boys and girls. Hillary is leading the charge for more of the same: War and more of it. The Neocons are still in place as well as all those financial idiots who have brought us to our knees. Since Reagan there has been no foreign policy that has been meaningful. This episode will be no different.

[Paul]

The answer is simple: convoys.

One destroyer could easily escort 25 or 30 ships in a convoy through Somali waters.

But no one talks about this because it would cost ship owners money - time, fuel, etc waiting for convoys to form up.

Maybe if the ship owners weren't so cheap they wouldn't have to run the risk of losing their vessels.

[All in All]

Not only is what You already stated true, the pirates would think twice knowing that all the Countries were the Ships come from are going to work with one another, and will stand against any threat together.

[cindysundancer]

I've heard that most of these pirates made their living fishing until the giant factory fishing boats from other nations wiped out their stock.
I'm not excusing them, but I wonder what lengths I might go to if my children were starving.
Get ready.....­...as the world population grows and our resources decline there will be fierce battles over who survives.

[RobHunt]

Let's see - would you go to THESE lengths? Is there ANY act you can't excuse?

"Amanda Lindhout, a Canadian journalist who was abducted by habar-gidir .. hawiye al-shabaab wing gunmen in the Somali capital Mogadishu about eight months ago is reportedly pregnant after she was apparently raped by her abductors, Sources say the Canadian journalist Amanda and an Australian photojournalist are being held by the militia in the northeastern neighbourhood of Suqa Holaha habar-girir hawye Terrorist neighborhood in Mogadishu.­"

Keep telling your lame, pacifist selves that this is about dead fish.


http://terrorfreesomalia.blogspot.com/2009/04/hawiye-terrorist-kidnap-canadian.html

[smileatfear]

Yes. And some of our well fed, well trained, and comparatively pampered soldiers raped and killed some young Iraqi girls and tried to hide the bodies. Their comrades acted as accesories, lying for them and helping them hide evidence. So what is your point?

[RoloTomassi]

I read posts like yours and I have to wonder if you have something against the simple concept of PROBLEM SOLVING.

Because your only response is to address the symptoms of this problem with violent suppression, which will solve nothing, and will cost a great deal.

Yes, piracy is a bad thing, but like terrorism if you merely address the offending acts and not the root cause you automatically commit yourself to a perpetual state of war against an enemy that cannot be defeated in the conventional "kill'em all" mode of operation that you are so fond of....

[checkmoot]

I don't think it would bankrupt the shipping companys to put about four, well equipped, armed guards on every ship passing through that area. End of piracy.

[Paul]

One of these days the pirates are gonna get smart.

They pull up to a ship and attach an explosive charge at the waterline with a cell phone detonator (or something similar) attached.

No more boarding the vessel or playing at hostage with the crew.

[Dynamohum]

They don't want to sink the ships....t­hey want the cargo, or ransom for the cargo and crew.....t­hey never intended to sink any ships. It isn't about killing people for the pirates, it is about MONEY. Now go away grasshopper.