Washington Post: With the rescue of American Richard Phillips from the hands of pirates yesterday, there was a blip of good news from the Indian Ocean, but it remains a scandal that Somali pirates continue to routinely defeat the world's naval powers. And worse than this ongoing demonstration of cowardice is the financing of terrorists that results from the huge ransom payments these pirates are allowed to collect. It is naive to assume that the millions paid annually in ransom to pirates merely enables them to purchase villas and fancy automobiles. Somalia is a country without government, where anarchy is being exploited by terrorist organizations. Although the threat that pirates pose to commercial ships is increasingly known, little is being done to combat it. And we must consider the bigger picture: Terrorists are far more brutal than pirates and can easily force pirates -- petty thieves in comparison -- to share their ransom money.....http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/12/AR2009041202262.html
The bigger question should be how to stop the root cause of the poverty and lawlessness from which this piracy is born. Could it be a failed state that and neglected people that have been living in wild west conditions since the 90s? Untold numbers of innocent people live in poverty in Somalia with no hope of raising themselves out of their situation within their own borders. Foreign aid missions cannot function there without a functioning government, and the most lucrative source of income is piracy. I'd be willing to be that the top echelon of Somalian intellects work in piracy, simply because it is the most entrepreneurial business around. Do I have a solution? No. But I don't think simply patrolling the coast will solve all the problems. That is like sending more cops into a riot, instead of asking why the people are angry.
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