The Situation in Somalia: Piracy

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2009 im Fachbereich Politik - Internationale Politik - Thema: Int. Organisationen u. Verbände, Note: 1,3, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Institut für Politikwissenschaft), Veranstaltung: Vereinte Nationen, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Equipped with machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and small missile launchers high-tech pirates lurking offshore Somalia, particularly awaiting vessels from the western part of the globe, are boosting current news coverage as the gas tanker 'Longchamp', motor vessel 'Irene' and container vessel 'Hansa Stavanger' have shown. A couple of weeks ago yet another ship has been captured. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) data, there had been more pirate attacks reported in the first quarter of 2009 than in the entire previous year, whereas Somali pirates had undertaken half of those. It seems as if the twenty-first century is competing against the seventeenth. Put differently, combating piracy off the Somali coast might now be considered an analogy to the fight against international terrorism following September 11. Being considered a rather regional problem so far, piracy off the coast of Somalia has taken on international implications since more than 20,000 ships a year are passing Somali waters carrying about 8 % of the world's trade of goods and commodities. This very important route - through the Gulf of Aden - is threatened continuously by pirates affecting international commercial shipping, fishing and humanitarian aid supply. In the first step this paper will introduce the region as well as the setting of the crisis and offer a pragmatic definition of the act of piracy. Subsequently it will outline the extent to which the crisis causes significant concerns and point out its impact not only on Somalia but also on international trade, the environment and security; altogether stirring vitally important areas of international freedom. In the second step it will cover the actions taken by the international community, especially the United Nations Organizations, and approach proposals to resolve the conflict. The consequential arguments represent the bridging to the third part which will summarize the points at issue and conclude with questions offering incentives to alternative approaches.