Why Are Young Men Turning To Piracy?

It must be remembered that the majority of the Pirates of Somalia are former fishermen. These men have been forced to give up their former means of production as a result of often violent, and wholly illegal, encroachment on Somali fishing grounds by foreign fishing vessels.

So long as there exists a political vacuum inside Somalia, the Pirates of Somalia shall continue to about there business undisturbed. Indeed, the so-called transitional federal government of the Somali Republic—an entity that is recognized by the United Nations—actually empowers the Pirates of Somalia, by its very nature. It is no secret that the current president of Somalia, and entire council of ministers, are perceived as a bunch of venal money-grabbers by a majority of the Somali people. By contrast, the Pirates of Somalia are perceived—by and large—as honorable maritime entrepreneurs, and captains of Somali industry.

It is quite clear to me that Somali society must find a new group of political leaders. The Somali nation desperately needs leaders that are able to confront both the Pirates of Somalia and the scourge of illegal foreign fishing inside Somali territorial waters. Only with the rise of responsible national leadership is the phenomenon of Somali based piracy adequately countered.

Written for AlArabiya.net. Nasr Ibn Othmann is a specialist in the engineering and mining industry based in Leicester, England and can be reached at yann1@live.co.uk.

RC: Unfortunately many countries that have been harmed by international corporations see these corporations as one and the same as the American people and other Europeans. Since the 1960s Americans were well aware of such abuses. They have only increased over the years...(example: NAFTA in Mexico, polluting and distruction of farm land in many countries, including the U.S. .....)