Ransom on The High Seas: The Case of Piracy in Somalia The Root Causes of Piracy in Somalia 

This paper has identified two main causes of piracy namely problems with the illegal and Somalia’s failed status as a state, as a second problem. In order to fully comprehend the genesis of piracy in Somalia, one has to date back to a time when Somalia had a functioning government in 1991. At that time, the coastal waters of Somalia were massively used for fishing by both local fishermen and international fishing boats from Europe. Osei-Tutu (2011) argued that piracy in Somali began with local fishermen who were worn-out of foreign fishing boats taking advantage of the instability in the country, dumping toxic waste and illegally fishing in the Somali waters. In order to protect themselves, the fishermen bore arms and then up-scaled their protection and later on greed kicked in and fishermen began hijacking other ships for ransom developing into a fully-fledged piracy problem (Waldo, 2009). The second root cause is what has been highlighted in the case study as the main root cause of present or modern piracy. The study has emphasized political instability emanating from the lack of stable government with effective authority as the root cause. The absence of a political authority to provide the safety of its people and borders resulted in the fragmentation of Somalia (Saferworld, 2011).

Over the years with further absence of governmental institutions and structures there has been chaos making Somalia a prime target for abuse by Islamist insurgency groups such as Al Shabab looking for a base to destabilize other states. By extension, lack of stable government in Ethiopia led to the deteriorating economic situation that ultimately resulted in massive poverty. This culminated in extreme anxiety on the part of Somalis to survive amidst the high levels of unemployment. The case showed some cultural aspects that perpetrated the piracy. For example, the case indicated that some fishermen would allow the pirates to use their boats making it difficult for other patrol boats to differentiate pirates from mere local fishermen.

The case also mentions of the protection that Islamist groups provided for the pirates. This is embedded within the collective culture of most east African countries where communities support other communities within their culture. On the other hand, the pirates understood the culture of value for life by the companies and countries of the captured crew, that provided a guarantee that a ransom would be paid. J. Peter Pham’s article “Putting Somali Piracy in Context” (2010) claims that historical looting of shipwrecks along the Puntland coast was “apparently induced by locals, representing a significant element in the [local clan] trading economy, organised by traditional leaders, and may even have contributed to centralising tendencies in the power structures of the local sultanates. ” Osei-Tutu (2011) also claimed that embedded in pastoralist culture of somalis, which is the antithesis to that of farming and fishing, greed is associated with sharaf (respect), especially when one displays ambition to rob for the benefit of the clan members.

This support emanating from the elements of somali culture seem to have fueled the growth of piracy. The Difference between pirates and terrorist groups Pirates mostly comprise of local unemployed youth/fishermen seeking private ends aimed at alleviating poverty and effects of unemployment. Often times, pirates are against crew and property of the ship in exchange for ransom money. In this regard, piracy is seen as an easy alternative to solving poverty and getting rich quickly. On the other hand, terrorists have political or religious ideology. For example, they may aim to force government to adopt a quasi political and religious form of government such as sharia law. Their methods are aimed at instilling fear to publicize a specific political or religious cause. They use brainwashing tactics to indoctrinate their members or followers. Their objective is to gain some level of power or control. They are often willing to die or sacrifice for their cause. Most terrorist groups are well coordinated and exhibit some level of sophistication. They seem to normally have a network of worldwide sympathizers and supporters to their cause.

Recommendation

My choice of the recommendation is based on an option that would provide both the immediate solution to the problem but more so a long-lasting solution to the problem of piracy in Somalia. Based on this criterion, I would recommend the option of engaging the US navy that was fast approaching. The first advantage of this option is that it may result in no ransom or a small ransom. Considering the fact that the marines are well trained and experienced, the chances of failure to successfully rescue the mission would be minimal. Additionally, considering the fact that there were American citizens among the crew members, increase the chance of success.

It is a well-known fact or common knowledge that American Government does everything possible in order to protect and save it citizens. The second advantage of this option is the high probability of having a speedy negotiation process. With the presence of American forces, the pirates would be pushed to a corner and forced to either access a very small ransom amount or risk everything and get killed in the process just like what happened in Captain Philips movie. This would also reduce costs of security and ensure profits through the speedy delivery of the vessel.