Challenges in the Era of Globalization - iaabd

Challenges in the Era of Globalization
Edited by Emmanuel Obuah
why individuals or group of individuals take to piracy and robbery of ships. While some of these factors
might be located in the forces of globalization and liberalization of trade (Lehr 2007, viii), others are
located in the changing internal dynamics and structures of the Somalia political economy. The push
factors include but not limited to the following:
1. The existence of severe harsh socio-economic conditions suffered by overwhelming Somali
population. The basic socio-economic and human development indexes indicate that Somalia is one
of the poorest countries in the world. Indeed, it has faced both man made and natural crises in the past
decades, such as the internecine conflicts, the severe drought and famine of the 1990s, and the 2004
Tsunami. Although harsh economic conditions not excuse for criminality, a vast number of the
population is without any other sources of income than crime. For this part of the population piracy
has become a source to eke a living and seek financial salvation.
2. The wanton destruction of the way of life of the Somali fishermen by illegal fishing and the dumping
of toxic waste which has been largely ignored by foreign governments. According to the UN
Environmental Program (UNEP) report in 2005, there have been dumping of uranium radioactive
waste, lead, heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury, industrial waste, hospital waste, and
chemical waste in Somali waters (Cited in Dagne 2009, 5); thus causing ecological damage to sea life
and destruction of the livelihood of the Somali communities. Also a report prepared by the Marine
Resources Assessment Group Ltd (MRAG) for United Kingdom Department for International
Development (DFID) estimated that Somalis lost about $100 million illegal tuna and shrimp fishing
in the country’s exclusive economic zone in 2003 – 2004 (MRAG 2005, 6).
3. Finally, an important push factor is the so called Eric Hobsbawm ‘social bandit’/ Robin Hood theory.
That is the notion that Somali pirates took to piracy as a means of raising ‘tax’ on foreign vessels in
the form of ransom in return for fishing rights and for the protection of local communities that have
been devastated by ecological problems caused by illegal dumping of wastes (Lennox 2008; Møller
2009a). In fact, some Somali pirates claimed that they were merely “gentlemen” and patriots risking
their lives at sea protecting Somalia’s shores (Salopek 2008). Groups such as the Ocean Salvation
Corps and the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia believe that they took speedboats to try to extract tax
from foreign fishermen for years of foreign poaching of Somalia’s fish-rich waters (Salopek 2008;
Hari 2009). These groups buttress their claim by pointing to years of over fishing in Somali waters by
fishermen from Thailand, Europe, Yemen, and South Korea; and the dumping of toxic waste by
European companies since the collapse of Somalia in the 1990s.
The ‘pull’ factors on the other hand include:
1. The lack or absence of a functioning central government since 1991 when the country disintegrated
into a Hobbsian state of nature. Post 1991, Somalia was divided into three main territories:
Somaliland, Puntland and the Southern territory. Apart from Somaliland where there exist some
semblance of peace and order, in the other territories, an ineffective Transitional Federal Government,
completely lacking governance capacity and legitimacy was created. Evidence of this state of
statelessness manifest in the lack of a functional national judicial system and rule of law; the lack of
accountability and widespread corruption; lack of enforcement agencies such as the coastguard, navy
to patrol coastal waters; and the lack of an effective police force able and willing to patrol and destroy
pirate sanctuaries.
2. The existence of a dense traffic in the GOA through which a large part of global commerce between
the Middle, Far East and Europe passes help to explain the volume and increase in piracy and armed
robbery. For example, the GOA is an important waterway which carries a third of the world’s crude
oil and over 20,000 vessels pass through GOA every year (King 2009). The density of traffic is
further compounded by the existence of narrow chokepoints which make ships to slow down thereby
making them vulnerable to criminal attacks by pirates. This why most of the attacks occur while the
vessels are steaming.
361