Piracy Update

Somali pirates have seized a couple more commercial ships in the last two days. As you would expect, our modern world with its leviathan superstructure of bureaucracy and its 'root causes' ninnies places significant barriers to addressing the situation promptly and effectively. Two tropes that you will hear incessantly in media coverage is that 1) this is a global problem that demands global coordination, and 2) that there is no direct solution, only a solution that addresses the root cause, which is the lack of political stability in Somalia. Both are sheer poppycock on stilts. First, while this can be solved with global coordination, it is not a requirement that it be done so. The ultimate loser in this situation is Egypt. The only reason to sail through the Gulf of Aden is if you are transiting the Suez Canal. According to this, Egypt got over $3 billion in revenue from fees for passage through the canal in 2006. I would bet the fees are more like $5 billion now. Egypt needs that money, and as ship owners start to avoid the dangerous waters off of Somalia, it will be Egypt that feels the pinch most directly. The world can handle the delays and the increased costs of sending vessels on the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, and thus can wash its hands of key responsibility for the most part. Ultimately it falls to Egypt to protect its interests. Second, there is a direct solution - routing the pirates. Political stability in Somalia is not necessary, nor is it sufficient to put an end to the piracy. Nor is it likely. Creating stable political conditions in Somalia would be the hardest and most time consuming solution, and while it is ultimately the best long term solution, we have a critical short term need. Forcibly putting the pirates out of business is the near term requirement. Multinational naval power ought to establish a safe shipping corridor through the Gulf and a lead navy (ought to be European since Europe relies on Suez trade) ought to blockade the Somali port of Eyl - no one gets in or out without say so from the blockading navy. Third, pirates in international waters ought to be fair game. Any participating national navy can kill or capture pirates and process them through their own legal system. Personally, I would very much like to see pirates picked by the Saudi navy and put through the Saudi judicial system.

UPDATE: Whaddayaknow...the Arabs get that this is really their problem.