With the high profile abduction of a French Yacht earlier this month, it seems the fun never stops off the coast of Somalia, if by fun, you mean piracy. According to the AFP,
A major Japanese oil tanker was damaged Monday in a chase by heavily-armed pirates off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen but no one was injured, officials and crew members said. The attack came a day after a Spanish tuna fishing boat carrying a crew of 26 was seized by pirates in waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years.
With attacks like this seemingly increasing, or at least their publicity increasing, it seems unusual that more coordinated efforts are not being proposed to deal with at least this one problem area. While piracy is indeed nothing new, its impact on global trade and security is a large one. With that in mind, I pose the following questions:
1) Will the proliferation of security companies and the outsourcing of security extend to maritime security?
2) Will the US Navy’s unparalleled role in policing the seas ever get the recognition and appreciate it deserves?
3) Will other countries finally chip in navally, or at least financially or is it not yet financially worthwhile?
While many analysts have noted nightmare scenarios like attacks in the Strait of Hormuz or of Malacca by terrorists, is it not equally likely, or at least plausible, that a similar scenario could occur due to piracy (although the ultimate effect would be unintentional)? With rising energy costs raising the cost of transportation and thus the goods which are transported, when will it make financial sense to do more? Are there any coordinated international efforts to police the seas? This is Younghusband territory, and with that, I hope he and readers can chime in.

Comments to this entry
Wagar
April 22, 2008
12:50 am
Letters of marque. Yep, there's your contractors going after pirates.
IJ
April 22, 2008
12:38 pm
One reason for refusing was said to be that the United Nations agreement impinged unacceptably on the sovereignty of the United States.
Until the hostility to the UN and international rules changes, we're likely to continue with a system of 'might makes right'. Foreign Affairs warned of this at the start of the year.
Kurt9
April 22, 2008
6:13 pm
This seems to me the obvious solution to the problem of piracy, both off the horn of Africa as well as the Straits of Malacca, which is another pirate-infested shipping lane.
The U.S. has not signed the UN LOST treaty, but does actually abide by all parts of it, except for Part XI. The problem with Part XI is that it is relic of the cold war when socialism was still in vogue. The fact that the U.N. has failed to get rid of Part XI is illustrative of the inept bureaucracy that the UN has become.
If the UN dropped Part XI, the U.S. would sign the treaty today. The fault lies with the UN, not the U.S.
Younghusband
April 23, 2008
1:02 am
IJ
April 23, 2008
8:41 am
Unlikely in view of the US attitude at present to multilateralism. Younghusband links to early international progress - some African, Middle Eastern and Asian nations agree that piracy in the Indian Ocean should somehow be tackled. But security elsewhere on the high seas, especially in the Straits of Hormuz and Malacca, is also a concern.
On the suggestion that the rest of the world is socialist, the banking crisis is showing that the United States is socialist too (but selectively). And I heard last week that the US disguises its socialism by putting $44 trillion of liabilities off-balance sheet, never mind the unusual war accounting.
IJ
April 23, 2008
9:54 am
Unlikely in view of the US attitude at present. From today's Guardian America atavistic love affair with war
Michael
April 23, 2008
11:52 pm
IJ
April 24, 2008
8:14 am
bristlecone
April 26, 2008
3:06 am
Now, can you quit posting until you have something to say?
IJ
April 26, 2008
8:46 am
Until the hostility to the UN and international rules changes, we’re likely to continue with a system of ‘might makes right’. Foreign Affairs warned of this at the start of the year.
bristlecone
April 26, 2008
11:56 am
Now shaddap and let the grownups talk.
IJ
April 26, 2008
2:30 pm
Until the hostility to the UN and international rules changes, we’re likely to continue with a system of ‘might makes right’. Foreign Affairs were right to warn of such an attitude.
bristlecone
April 26, 2008
4:45 pm
IJ
April 26, 2008
5:16 pm
Curzon
April 27, 2008
2:37 pm
I beg to differ -- recent pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia were dealt with swiftly by the US navy with prejudice. Somalia's participation or lack there of was not even on the radar screen.
Chirol: Will other countries finally chip in navally, or at least financially or is it not yet financially worthwhile?
It would seem unlikely, as long as America is happy to fill the vacuum as world policeman.
IJ
April 27, 2008
2:54 pm
ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Somalia Piracy Followup
May 3, 2008
4:35 am