Piracy in Somalia was not born out of vacuum -- it was initially an act of protestation by local fishermen to illegal hyper-fishing practices by companies primarily based in Europe and Asia. The reckless greed of this "fishing mafia" has dangerously depleted sea life in the region. In due course, the local fishermen were joined by others, including the profiteering elements of the Somali civil war, for reinforcement, thus creating an identity conflation.
The partnership describes itself as the de facto Somali coast guard. It gives the following reasons for its controversial activities: to prevent the fishing mafia from abusing Somali sea resources, and to prevent mercenary ships from dumping toxic chemical waste in Somali waters. Leaders of the partnership offer interviews to the international media challenging the conventional wisdom identifying their acts as "piracy" and the monies they collect as "ransom." This claim not only presents a moral argument in defense of the partnership's illegal activities, but it seemingly enables them to score a few public relations points. However, while the grievance that they put in the center stage is real and deserves serious attention, there is practically no evidence to indicate that these pirates are driven by altruistic objectives. Their actions don't justify their claims.
Likewise, the same dichotomy applies to their counterparts. At a time when massive budget cuts became a necessity for most of the wealthy nations, how could a seemingly manageable level of threat justify a multi-national deployment of the mightiest navies to engage in a costly and indefinite endeavor (operation water circus)? How many warships are needed in order to carry surveillance operation on Eyl and Harardheere where all the Somali pirates are based? We are talking about two bone-dry coastal villages where no rat could find a place to hide.
These pirates are not falling from the sky, and there is no tourist industry that could give the commissioned speedboats anchored along the shores of the villages the appearance of leisure boats.
In the meantime, toxic waste dumping aggravates the tensions. According to Nick Nuttall, spokesman for the United Nations Environment Program, "European companies and others" will keep using Somalia "as a dumping ground for a wide array of nuclear and hazardous wastes." Nuttall confirmed the horrific allegations that "there's uranium radioactive waste, there's leads, there's heavy metals like cadmium and mercury, there's industrial wastes, and there's hospital wastes, chemical wastes, you name it."
For a solution to the piracy dilemma, the Obama administration should:
- Distance itself from anything that reminds the world of the last eight years
- Ensure safe passage for the humanitarian aid
- Introduce a UN resolution banning the dumping chemical waste in the Somali waters and banning the illegal hyper-fishing in the Somali coast
- Introduce a UN resolution that mandates an international effort to clean the countless barrels and containers of radioactive materials dumped in the Somali waters
- Sign a security treaty with the Somali unity government. [This will mark the first time the US signs any treaty with Somalia and will send a peace message to the Muslim world that America is indeed ready to establish formal relationship with any one on issues of mutual interest]
- Help build a Somali navy to protect its waters
- Use the legal option in order to freeze and confiscate assets
- There is no military solution to this problem. The military option will only win the pirates more support and sustain the current state of lawlessness.
Abukar Arman is a freelance writer who lives in Ohio . His commentaries and analysis on Islam, US foreign policy and Somalia have been published by media groups such as International Herald Tribune, Aljazeera Magazine, Arab News, and Global Politician.
Related materials from the Atlantic Community:
- Editorial Team: Piracy Revisited: How to Tackle the Growing Problem?
- Editorial Team: What Strategy to Tackle Somali Piracy? Vote Here
- Abukar Arman: Somali Peace Requires Constructive International Engagement
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April 29, 2009
Patrick Edwin Moran, Wake Forest University, Platinum Contributor (201)
Mr. Abukar Arman points out two additional consequences: One is the damage done to workers who have been displaced by the more highly capitalized harvesters, and the other is the social and political blow back that can follow when the livelihoods of individuals are disrupted.
The problems of resource exhaustion and pollution by dumping have a widespread influence. The wealthy and powerful can, on an interim basis, shield themselves from the negative consequences of off-loading costs on the entire population. But in the long run the damages that accrue are global, and they will often require a global solution. On the one hand, attempts to ameliorate these damages may be swamped by events outside the control of local and regional authorities, and on the other hand, in extreme cases painstaking prolonged work must be done to establish responsive and responsible local governments. These facts point to the importance of two extremes: the management of global factors such as climate change and population chaos, and the nurture of individuals from birth, families from formation, communities for the long term good of their members, and responsive governments on local and larger scales.