Why the U.S. is Afraid to Crack Down on Somali Pirates

By now I'm sure many of you are aware that Harardheere is the 21st-century Tortuga. Piracy in Somalia has been on the upswing since the ousting of the Barre regime in 1991, but it was the 2006 civil war and invasion by Ethiopia that has made the Gulf of Aden the most dangerous waterway in the world. When Somalis originally began attacking boats off the coast of their country in the 1990s it was to prevent longliners from fishing illegally in Somali waters, which are rich in skipjack and other types of tuna. Although Taiwanese and Sri Lankan fisherman continue to poach off the Somali coast, it is little justification for the current activities of the Somali pirates, who are targeting oil tankers and other prime vessels for ransom. While many Somalis are suffering since the threat of piracy has scared off shipments of food and other essential goods to the area, al-Qaeda is having trouble gaining an ideological foothold in the region. The U.S. could not be happier about that.

Although it hasn't received much mention, the U.S. secretly backed Somali warlords against the Islamic Courts Union both during and after the civil war in 2006 (as an aside, since many of these warlords sell phony licenses to poachers, the U.S. has indirectly supported the pirates' fallacious explanation for their actions). The U.S. was rightfully fearful that the imposition of sharia law and consolidation of power under an Islamic government would be deleterious to the war on terror, not that their fears have been abated by the Transitional Federal Government, which wields little power compared to the regional authorities. Somalia is a destabilized country with significant Muslim influence. Combined with its proximity to the Middle East, Somalia is fertile ground for the dissemination of al-Qaeda's ideology and the recruitment of future terrorists. Al-Qaeda, however, has had difficulty gaining momentum in Somalia. The reason: money often trumps ideology, especially for those who have lived in abject poverty for so long. The amount of cash flowing into Somalia as a result of piracy is considerable, and nothing soothes disgruntled youths like full stomachs and a pair of Nikes. While many in Somalia still go hungry, the local rulers and their lackeys (the ones al-Qaeda needs to ingratiate themselves with in order to have success) are too flush with cash to care about providing Muslim extremists a pulpit.

Clearly something has to be done about piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Pirates are moving south towards the Seychelles, threatening the delivery of goods to Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S., however, cannot be part of the solution on that front. Our ties to Somali warlords and our need to stamp out al-Qaeda will cloud our judgments. Considering the failure of U.S., French, and NATO forces to combat piracy in this area, I think it is time for South Africa to make considerable efforts to protect its neighbors along the east coast of Africa. They are the only country in the region with a functioning navy, and have every incentive to end piracy along the horn of Africa. Meanwhile, our President-elect can elicit a great deal of social change in the region, especially given its proximity to his provenance. While Somalia, lacking in natural resources and industry development, will likely always be a very poor country fraught with difficulties, the United States can commit to working in concert with the African Union to promote basic human rights and a minimum level of existence for the population. The heart of al-Qaeda beats in Waziristan, not Mogadishu. Until that changes, the U.S. needs to prioritize its security concerns.