3/31/2023 0 Comments Modern day pirate waters![]() Prevent or deter piracy with naval patrols and convoys. ![]() But the ransom amounts themselves do not justify a military response.Ģ. There are other compelling reasons to try to eliminate piracy in Somali waters - such as fear of copycat piracy elsewhere, fear of al Qaeda adopting the practice to capture Western hostages, and commitment to the principle of open seas. A military rescue, by comparison, is much riskier to the crew and will raise insurance costs considerably, as insurance companies will have to factor in the possibility of injuries and loss of life to crew and ensuing lawsuits. The risk of any one ship being pirated is still low their crews, ships, and cargo are returned safely and the ransom fees are manageable. Most shipping companies prefer to live with the current piracy modus vivendi. To give this sum some perspective, for example, last week I attended a conference on piracy in Washington D.C., and stayed at a hotel that was proudly announcing a $140 million renovation project - a price-tag three to four times the pirates annual take. Somali hijackers earned between $30 and $40 million in ransom in 2008, a handsome sum of cash in one of the worlds most impoverished countries, but a paltry sum for international shipping - not even enough to appreciably raise insurance premiums for ships passing through the Gulf of Aden. Yet there is a case to be made that the United States and the international community have overstated the threat of Somali piracy. Approaching piracy as a chronic problem to be managed rather than a war to be won is a deeply unsatisfying position, and is easy to attack politically. Live with piracy as an unavoidable nuisance. Lets look at the standard menu of options being discussed in Washington:ġ. And certainly, none of them offers a quick fix. Indeed, some of the strategies that have the greatest appeal for the American public and punditry are also the most dangerous. Yet the piracy issue is replete with traps, a seemingly simple problem with seemingly simple solutions, all of which could easily backfire and make things worse. ![]() The Obama administration does not want conservative opponents to portray it as weak on defense or unwilling to use force to protect American interests, and so cannot afford to embrace passive policies on piracy. But there is no question that piracy off the Somali coast is now an important symbolic political issue for both the Obama administration and its critics. Whether piracy constitutes a serious national security threat is a subject of debate. Now that the rush of excitement has subsided from the made-for-TV drama of the rescue of Captain Phillips, we are left with the more sobering long-term question of what to do about Somali piracy.
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