Apr 15 2009
Political Context of the Somali “Pirate” Crisis
The standoff between Western ships and Somali “pirates” continues with this week with four more vessels and more than 60 crew members having been taken hostage, and an unsuccessful attempt to take over an American cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, this morning. The actions come in response to the shooting deaths of three Somalis by the US Navy on Sunday during the rescue of American Captain Phillips. President Obama has vowed to to crack down on the growing attacks by Somalis on mostly Western trade ships in the Indian Ocean. But the President has resisted labeling the attackers as terrorists as his predecessor George W Bush did opting instead to use the term “pirate.” Foreign governments have taken advantage of Somalia, which has been without a functioning government for two decades. On the one hand, European ships have been stealing fish from Somali waters, to the detriment of the local fishing industry. And on the other hand, European ships have also been illegally dumping waste, likely nuclear waste, into the ocean near Somalia, causing severe health problems. The local population supports the so-called pirates, likening them to a de-facto coast-guard.
GUEST: Salim Lone, political writer and commentator based in Kenya, which neighbors Somalia
2 Responses to “Political Context of the Somali “Pirate” Crisis”
Ummm…Who buys this bull?
Fish are being stolen from contaminated seas? If the pollution was so bad, who would be so stupid as to fish there? Nice try, but it smells kinda fishy…Libtards
Idiot. Look at a map. Somalia is huge–its coastline is 3,000 kilometers long, the longest of any country in Africa. This is like dumping in New Orleans and fishing in Boston.