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Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Compiled By The National Defense University Library

Somalia MapRecent high-profile events, like hostage rescue operations carried out by France and the attempted hijacking of the MAERSK Alabama and the dramatic rescue of her Captain by the U.S. Navy, have focused new attention on the scourge of piracy off the coast of Somalia.  Captain Phillips' rescue led to a pledge by pirates to increase piracy in the Gulf of Aden and specifically target U.S. ships.  Yet even before these recent events, piracy was on the rise.  According to the International Maritime Bureau, so far this year, at least 80 commercial cargo ships have been attacked in the 2.8 million square kilometer Gulf of Aden, with 19 successful hijackings.  In 2008, there were 111 ships attacked and 42 successful hijackings.

Pirate photo

 

In an April 12 statement welcoming the release of Captain Phillips, President Obama stated his resolve to halt the rise of piracy in the region.  Three days later, Secretary of State Clinton followed up on the President's remarks with an unequivocal statement that the U.S. will not make concessions or ransom payments to pirates.  She announced four immediate steps the U.S. Government is taking in an expanded counter-piracy program: work with international partners to crack down on pirate bases and decrease incentives to engage in piracy; develop an expanded multinational response; engage with the Somali government and regional leaders in Puntland to take action against pirates operating from bases within their territories; and work with shippers and the insurace industry to address gaps in self-defense measures. 

 

Following is a list of resources that outline the response of the U.S. Government and the international community to piracy off the coast of Somalia, the scope and consequences of the problem, and identify some strategic options that are available to combat this growing menace.

U.S. Response
Congressional Hearings
International Organizations
Scope and Consequences
Combating Piracy
Additional Reading
Background on Somalia
Piracy in Asia 

U.S. Response

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Congressional Hearings

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International Organizations

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Scope and Consequences

  • [current] Economic Impact of Piracy in the Gulf of Aden on Global Trade
    Fact Sheet from the U.S. Maritime Administration
  • [current] Somali Piracy: Global Overview
    BBC website providing insight into how Somali piracy has impacted life in Somalia's Puntland region and affected countries around the globe
  • [22 June 09] Counting the Costs of Somalia Piracy
    Raymond Gilpin.  United States Institute of Peace
    The upsurge in attacks by Somali pirates between 2005 and mid-2009 reflects decades of political unrest, maritime lawlessness and severe economic decline. Piracy has dire implications for economic development and political stability in Somalia, with economic prospects constrained, business confidence compromised and human security worsening. It could also have a destabilizing effect on global trade and security unless immediate steps are taken to craft a coordinated strategy to address the complex factors that trigger and sustain crime and impunity on the high seas. However, poorly designed and implemented strategies could inadvertently strengthen the hand of extremists in and around Somalia. The Somali authorities and their international partners should plan for a sustained application of “smart power” by all stakeholders. This paper offers practical strategies to mitigate the rising costs of Somali piracy and lay the foundation for lasting peace
  • [21 April 09] Piracy off the Horn of Africa
    Lauren Ploch, Christopher M. Blanchard, Ronald O'Rourke, R. Chuck Mason, and Rawle O. King.  Congressional Research Service
  • [6 Feb 09] Ocean Piracy and Its Impact on Insurance
    Rawle O. King.  Congressional Research Service
  • [29 Jan 09] Somali Piracy and the International Response
    Rubrick Biegon.  Foreign Policy in Focus
    A quick summary of the context and impact of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia, the international response, and the forecast for the future
  • [Oct 08] Piracy in Somalia: Threatening Global Trade, Feeding Local Wars
    Roger Middleton. Chatham House
    This report identifies consequences of the dramatic surge in pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia: ransom payments encourage pirates to become more aggressive, fuel the war in Somalia, and increase the likelihood that pirates will become agents of international terrorist networks.  Piracy makes delivery of aid to drought-stricken Somalia more difficult and costly, making insurance premiums rise, and raising concerns that costs of manufactured goods and oil from Asia and the Middle East will spiral up.  The use of ever more powerful weaponry makes it increasingly likely that piracy will cause a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Aden.  In the face of these threats, the international community can no longer ignore the problem
  • [June 08] The Maritime Dimension of International Security: Terrorism, Piracy, and Challenges for the United States
    Peter Chalk. RAND Corporation
    This report assesses the nature, scope, and dimensions of piracy and seaborne terrorism, the extent to which they are or are not interrelated, and their overall relevance to U.S. national and international security interests

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Combating Piracy

  • [24 June 09] Maritime Security: Fighting Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Beyond
    James Jay Carafano, Richard Weitz, and Martin Edwin Andersen.  Heritage Foundation
    This report, prepared by the Heritage Foundation's Maritime Security Working Group, describes the threat of piracy to global commerce and the safety and security of ships transiting the Gulf of Aden, addresses domestic and international legal aspects of responding to piracy and other criminal acts at sea, proposes the appropriate mix of private-sector and U.S. military responses to piracy, including long-term investments in constabulary maritime assets, recommends solutions for improving the capacity of regional powers to protect freedom of the seas, and outlines a strategy for dealing with the root of the problem: lack of governance in Somalia.  While the report focuses on the Gulf of Aden, its proposals have implications for combating piracy worldwide
  • [June 09] Making Waves: Piracy Floods the Horn of Africa
    Matthew Hulbert.  Center for Security Studies
    This brief examines the issue of Piracy off the Horn of Africa, identifying both causes and consequences of the spike in pirate attacks.  In order to stem the impact on regional security and trade, the international community needs a more nuanced approach to tackling both the causes and effects of piracy by addressing economic dislocation and state fragility on the one hand and international maritime cooperation on the other
  •  [22 April 09] Pirates and How to Deal with Them
    Roger Middleton.  Chatham House
    This paper reports on the proceedings of a roundtable of experts brought together in February 2009 to clarify some of the legal concerns around combating piracy off the Somali coast, focusing on the international legal framework on piracy and legal issues surrounding the arrest and prosecution of pirates
  • [16 April 09] Somali Piracy: Not Just a Naval Problem
    Martin Murphy.  Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
    A naval response to Somali piracy is an incomplete response to Somali piracy given the myriad political and land-based problems that fuel the rise of piracy.  This report examines piracy in the context of Somali politics and militant islamism, discusses implications for U.S. policy, and recommends a course of action to combat piracy
  • [15 April 09] Options for Combating Piracy in Somalia
    Jena Baker McNeill and Brett D. Schaefer.  Heritage Foundation
    Piracy is a growing problem that benefits from the instability in Somalia.  In the near term, effectively safeguarding maritime traffic requires a balanced public/private effort with the use of force limited to protecting commerce and maintaining freedom of the seas.  Also required is an effective strategy to resolve Somalia's troubles and establish and bolster the rule of law
  • [13 April 09] Combating Maritime Piracy
    Stephanie Hanson.  Council on Foreign Relations
    Includes analysis of the nature and severity of the threat, whether piracy is terrorism, mechanisms for combating piracy, and legal complications to combating piracy
  • [March 09] For a Greater Horn of Africa Sea Patrol: A Strategic Analysis of the Somali Pirate Challenge
    Lars Bangert Struwe.  Danish Institute for Military Studies
    Pirates are criminals who should be pursued by the local policy authority.  As such an authority does not exist in Somalia, and as it appears there are no states prepared to intervene to stop the 20-year-old civil war, only the symptoms of piracy have hitherto been treated by combating it at sea.  Some progress has been made, but it is necessary to take steps towards a far more permanent, regionally-based solution.  The solution suggested in this report is to establish a regionally-based maritime unit: a Greater Horn of Africa Sea Patrol, to carry out surveillance in the area to security free navigation and take on tasks such as fishery inspection and environmental monitoring.  A Greater Horn of Africa Sea Patrol would comprise elements from the coastal states - from Egypt in the north to Tanzania in the south.  The unit would be established with the support of the states that already have a naval presence in the area
  • [March 09] What Can Be Done to Counter Somali Piracy?
    Liam Bellamy. Research Institute for European and American Studies
    This article examines tactical options that can be employed by ships to prevent pirate attacks
  • [Feb 09] Piracy, Maritime Terrorism and Naval Strategy
    Bjørn Møller. Danish Institute for International Studies
    This report analyses piracy and maritime terrorism, identifies areas of overlap, and proposes naval strategies that can be employed to combat them
  • [Feb 09] Fighting Piracy: International Coordination is Key to Countering Modern-Day Freebooters
    CMDR James Kraska and CAPT Brian Wilson. Armed Forces Journal
    A combination of coalition naval power and statecraft is creating new international authorities to address piracy, but concrete steps must be taken to implement and sustain the new initiatives
  • [09] Piracy-The East Africa/Somalia Situation: Practical Measures to Avoid, Deter or Delay Piracy Attacks
    This booklet, produced by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO), the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) with the aim of providing practical information to assist seafarers faced with potential or actual acts of piracy while operating in the Gulf of Aden and other waters near the Horn of Africa
  • [Nov 07] Maritime Security on the Horn of Africa: Threading the Needle at a Seam of Responsibility
    Brian J. Finman.  Naval War College
    The Horn of Africa is among the most dangerous areas of the world for maritime activity. Given the scarcity of regional capabilities to police these waters, Coalition naval forces maintain a maritime security presence in the region. These forces have had some notable successes, but face a complex challenge in suppressing piracy and human smuggling. At the heart of this maritime problem is the vast and ungoverned land area of Somalia, in which chaos creates too many incentives and not enough deterrence for maritime criminal activity. The recent creation of a United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) places the landmass of Africa (except Egypt) inside the AFRICOM AOR. As a result, the dynamic waters surrounding the Horn of Africa will soon lay on a seam between the USCENTCOM AOR and USAFRICOM AOR, creating new challenges and opportunities for conducting maritime security operations in the region. This paper will first discuss the operational factors that affect maritime security efforts to date. It will then examine command and control implications brought about by the creation of USAFRICOM and the combatant commanders shifting seams of responsibility. Finally, it will make recommendations on how to work effectively across this dynamic seam of responsibility to the benefit of both USAFRICOM and USCENTCOM
  • [Oct 06] The Implications of Maritime Piracy in the Failed State of Somalia
    Kjell A. Wander.  Naval War College
    This paper defines the operational challenges of combating piracy in Somalia and offers a possible solution to incorporate other instruments of national and international power. This is a thought piece derived from unclassified sources and includes opinions. It seeks to establish the threat and effects of piracy in Somalia, analyzes the challenges of combating the threat and suggests a CENTCOM-led interagency anti-piracy task force in Djibouti

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Additional Reading

  • [May 09] Beyond Piracy: Next Steps to Stabilize Somalia
    Ken Menkhaus, John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-Jensen. Enough: The Project to End Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Center for American Progress
    While short-term measures to curb pirate attacks are certainly necessary, the Obama administration must not allow the politics of the piracy problem to distract it from putting in place a long-term strategy to help Somalis forge a state that, with measured external support, can fight piracy, promote peace and reconciliation, and combat the threat of terrorism within its borders. After identifying the major security threats in Somalia, the report provides four priorities and policy recommendations for the United States
  • [17 April 09] Piracy: A Symptom of Somalia's Deeper Problems
    Brett D. Schaefer.  Heritage Foundation
    The recent news coverage of pirates has focused U.S. public attention on Somalia more than at any time since the confrontation between U.S. forces and Somali fighters detailed in the movie Black Hawk Down. Numerous suggestions have been made on how to deal with high seas piracy, but failing to adopt a strategy that resolves Somalia’s ongoing instability will undermine any such efforts — piracy in the region benefits from Somali lawlessness and volatility.  A long-term solution to piracy hinges on improving stability and bolstering Somali authorities with which the U.S. can work to advance mutual interests, including clamping down on piracy
  • [Jan 09] Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
    Bjørn Møller. Danish Institute for International Studies
    The explosive growth of piracy off the coast of Somalia in 2008 illustrates how an internal problem has external repercussions, and also offers a case study of how the various regional and international state and non-state actors interact
  • [Feb 09] The Somali Conflict: The Role of External Actors
    Bjørn Møller. Danish Institute for International Studies
    Somalia has been without a functioning state since 1991, when former dictator Siyad Barre was overthrown.  This report discusses failed international interventions in over the past decade, which have resulted in chaos and a severe humanitarian crisis, and analyzes prospects that recent efforts by  Islamist extremists to gain control, will be successful
  •  [Dec 08] Contemporary Piracy off the Horn of Africa
    Patrick Lennox. Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute
    The purpose of this paper is to establish an appreciation for the cyclical nature of piracy - a form of criminal activity that has been around since human beings first took to the waterways.  It provides context of both the origins of Somali piracy itself, and piracy as a general phenomenon

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Background on Somalia

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Piracy in Asia

  • [18 Feb 09] Calming the Waters in Maritime Southeast Asia
    Ian Storey.  East-West Center
    This paper reviews some of the factors that have led to an improvement in the maritime security situation in Southeast Asia and identifies steps that need to be continued in order to avoid an upsurge in piracy in Southeast Asia in coming years as a result of the global economic downturn
  • [June 06] Sea Piracy in Southeast Asia: Implications for Countering Maritime Terrorism in the United States
    John M.L. Geragotelis.  Naval Postgraduate School
    Sea piracy has infested the seven seas throughout history. In modern times, the United States has paid little attention to piracy because the nation’s isolated vastness has protected the shipping industry from maritime crime. But the events of 9/11 have changed the lens through which America views security. This thesis investigates modern day piracy and links between piracy and terrorism in order to determine implications for U.S. maritime security strategy.  Specifically, the maritime environment in Southeast Asia and associated maritime security policies are researched because a sizable proportion of the world’s sea piracy occurs in that region. U.S. maritime security policy is also evaluated
  • [Oct 05] Piracy in Southeast Asia: New Trends, Issues and Responses
    Catherine Zara Raymond.  Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies
    Piracy has plagued the region of Southeast Asia for many centuries and continues to do so to the present day. Despite increased efforts by the regional countries to reduce the problem, pirate attacks take place on an alarmingly regular basis in what are some of the world's most strategically important waterways. This paper will examine the phenomenon of piracy in Southeast Asia, in particular that which occurs in and around the waters of Indonesia and the Straits of Malacca. The trends which have emerged in recent years will be highlighted; specifically the types of attacks which take place, the different groups carrying out the attacks, the equipment they use and their targeting patterns. The study will then examine the causes of piracy, its impact and finally the responses of the region's states to the problem

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