Alec Stewart
GVPT 306
Hiding
behind the Environment
Piracy is a problem
within Somalia and its’ surrounding waters, and conflicting perspectives on the
issue make it a hard one to solve. The ‘pirates’ of Somalia see international
fisherman/people dumping waste as the real ‘pirates’ who are plundering the
waters around Somalia and see themselves as the Somalia Coast Guard while the
majority of the international world believes these Somalians that are taking
control over ships are the true pirates. I argue that the Somalia pirates are
using the environment as a way to generate false legitimacy around the illegal
actions that they partake in.
The spokesperson
for the Somalia pirates stated in an interview that they are simply patrolling
their waters against illegal fishing and waste dumping. This seems like a
legitimate claim, and reveals that the Somalia pirates truly just wish to
protect the environmental goodness of their waters for their own needs.
However, when one digs deeper, a less legitimate tale about the motives of the Somalia
pirates is illuminated. According to the article written by Hansen only a “small
amount of fishing ships have actually reported attacks” and that the most
common victim of piracy around Somalia are “tankers and slow-moving bulk
carriers.” This is a strong indicator that Somalia pirates are not patrolling
the seas surrounding their country looking to end illegal international fishing
or that they’re worried about protecting the fishing industry for their own
economy. No, these pirates are looking to make a profit and that’s why they
target large ships that often have a lot of cargo that could potentially be
worth a lot of money.
The rhetoric that
the Somalia pirates use is a ploy to gain international legitimacy, but is not
in fact grounded in any truth. If the Somalia pirates are granted some type of
legitimacy then they will be more able to carry out their illegal acts of
piracy as more and more countries see their claims to the water as legitimate. However,
I would be curious to see what would happen if Somalia was granted full control
over, say, 200 miles off of their coasts. As it stands now, it isn’t possible
to fully delegitimize the claims that the Somali pirates make, even if there is
a good amount of evidence that discounts their reasoning. However, if Somalia
was granted total control over fishing for 200 miles off of their coast the
motives of the Somali pirates would quickly be revealed. If piracy continued to
come from Somali at a similar rate then motives of the Somali pirates is
clearly not to protect their waters from illegal fishing but rather because
piracy is a profitable business venture.
Knowing the true
motives of the Somali pirates is a key factor in curbing the amount of piracy
that comes from the area. If the pirates are committing these acts because
there is no other way to make money, then maybe Somalia could be granted some
small portion of the revenue that flows through their waters (gas trade) so
long as there is a steady decrease in piracy from year to year. Doing this may
not only help to stimulate the economy of Somalia, but may also deincentivize piracy
which is beneficial for the international community. The problem with this plan
would be ensuring the distribution of said revenue was done fairly and effectively.
Maybe with some UN oversight over the allocation of these funds this plan could
be accomplished leading to less piracy and a more prosperous Somalia.
Great post, Alec. I really liked your critique against the dominant claim that Somali pirates are just protecting their waters. If they were granted control of 200 nautical miles off their coasts, I agree with you that the international community would see that the pirates are actually solely seeking profit, not protection of their waters and fish stocks. Yet, do you think the best way to respond to the pirates' violence is by giving them exactly what they want...a share of the profit? Most tankers and slow moving bulk carriers (the target of Somali attacks) operate outside of the 200 miles from their coast...would these tankers also pay the Somali's a tax?
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly sure how the distribution of money towards Somalia would work-it's a tough thing to hash out. However, I feel like piracy is a symptom of a larger issue in Somalia and I think some economic stimulus created through the right channels could help solve the problems.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSomalia currently has a developing government thats only been established for a few years. So clearly they are still working on gaining power and advancing themselves. Do you think that if Somalias piracy claims were taken more seriously and they were given control of their water territory that this would increase or decrease piracy? More so do you think that if they were given this legitimate power than it could possibly ripple into positive effect (the government seen as more respected, legitimate, and able to rule/ set laws for their people, resulting in a decrease of piracy)?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Alec. Do you think that there is any legitimacy to the motives that the Somali pirates express? Do you think that they care about the way that their environment is impacted by international trade and waste dumping, or do you think that this is absolutely a false motive? In other words, do you think that their motives are black and white or do you think that there is a gray area here?
ReplyDeleteI think there is some grey area in the motives of the Somalian pirates. However, I do believe that the environmental claims that they are making are not the primary reasons for the piracy coming out of Somalia. I think at the end of the day the majority of these pirates have no way of making money and resort to piracy.
Delete