Note: This paper appeared in the 6th Volume of the Journal on Terrorism and Security Analysis in Spring 2011.

Excerpt
September 9, 2010, Captain Alexander Martin and 23 Marines, of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, climbed onboard the Motor Vessel Magellan Star, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates the previous day. The boarding was the latest example of the US military’s willingness to use force in order to rescue hostage sailors. Western navies have used force to in order to remove Somali pirates from hijacked ships with increased frequency. It is likely that this will result in increased casualties in what was the relatively peaceful practice of Somali piracy.

Piracy became a threat to shipping after the collapse of Somalia’s government in 1991, and Somalia’s emergence as a, if not the, failed state. This threat, which has conjured images of pirates from the Caribbean or the Barbary states, should not be ignored as a threat from the past. Somali pirates have shown the willingness and the ability to attack energy and weapons shipments. The Gulf of Aden is the sea lane used to transport the majority of Europe’s oil from the Middle East. If left unchecked piracy could have a negative impact on Western quality of life, and have a destabilizing effect on East Africa.

Piracy is an internationally recognized crime, but Western states have been of two minds about it. America and the European Union (EU), which have shown a willingness to send ships to protect international shipping, lost interest when it was time to prosecute pirates. This duality of purpose was a symptom of how policy makers saw pirates as potential terrorists on one hand, and obsolete criminals on the other. Until Western leaders stop exaggerating the threat of piracy by linking it with terrorism without evidence to support such claims, and ridiculing pirates as an anachronistic threat, they will not develop a coherent policy to address the threat. Continue reading (PDF)

About the author
Brendon Noto graduated from the University at Albany with a BA in European History and American Politics. He is pursuing his MA in International, Global and Comparative History at the University at Albany. His subjects of interest include naval policy and post-Cold War International Relations. Brendon Noto served in the U.S. Navy and conducted anti-piracy and Visit Board Search and Seizure operations off the coast of Somalia over the course of two deployments.