Blowbacks a B*tch: Somali Piracy Edition

by Ian Welsh [courtesy of Firedoglake]

Jolly Roger by Here's Kate

Somali pirates, in addition to seizing a super tanker, have seized 9 vessels in 12 days.  An Indian frigate sunk a pirate vessel, but no one thinks that's going to mean much.  The bottom line is this: solving this ideally requires a carrier, or rather a carrier task force.  Normally that would be the US's job (it has half the naval tonnage in the world and plenty of carrier task forces) but US carriers are busy doing other things.  

Geopolitically speaking, a large part of what the rest of the world pays the US for is keeping the sealanes clear.  Saudi Arabia hasn't spent decades investing money in the US for idealistic reasons: it has received security in exchange.   If the US can't deal with this, other countries will (the Brits will probably wind up sending a carrier and escort ships to deal with it, in combination with other countries.  Harriers are particularly useful for this sort of operation).  

I will also note that if Somalia had fallen under the rule of the Islamic Courts Union, rather than back into anarchy at Ethiopia's hand with America's approval and aid, then piracy would almost certainly not be this out of hand.  The ICU had wanted international trade and recognition and would not have allowed pirates to wreck that.  As it stands, in a country in absolute anarchy thanks in large part to US approved policy, piracy is one of the few ways anyone can make a living, let alone get rich and there is no central authority capable of dealing with it.

I expect the problem will be dealt with, mind, the pirates have gotten too greedy and steps will be taken, probably including some shelling or bombing of coastal communities involved in the business.  But it should never have come to this.