Conflict
arises in Somalia due to poor institutions and weak economic development. The
environment aids in the chaos that surrounds the seas of Somalia but it is
neither the sole instigator of violence nor the root of the country’s
instability. The state of Somalia is in chaos due to the fact that it does not
have a sovereign government or stable institutions. Since it does not have
either a stable or legitimate government, its economy has been unable to
develop.
Somalia
has suffered through civil wars and bloody conflict for ages, since 1998 the
country has been under the military rule of Colonel Abdullah Yusuf dubbing
Somalia the Puntland State of Somalia. Due to conflicts between different
ethnic groups, those represented by Yusuf’s government and those not, Somalia
continues to struggle with crippling conflicts. These issues with ethnic
conflict have little to do with the environment; instead they grow under a
government that lacks a sufficient amount of institutions. Due to the lack of a
civilian executive power and an overall sovereign government, the militarized
government is not internationally legitimate. Since foreign actors do not
consider the government legitimate, groups such as pirates have struggled to
find their role in grand scheme of things.
Piracy
is a huge issue for Somalia. Due to the canal separating Somalia and Yemen, the
only waterway from the Indian Ocean into the Red Sea, conflict and violence
arises between Somali pirates and foreign water vessels. These pirates consider
themselves coast guards who work to protect their seas. However since their
government is not considered internationally legitimate foreign ships do not
consider these men has an actual coast guard but rather violent pirates. If Somalia had a
stable and legitimate government with efficient institutions then foreign ships
would be more willing to comprise with the Somali pirates.
The
issue with piracy stems from a lack of stable Somali institutions. These Somali
pirates are lost between the disconnect of their illegitimate government and
the international stage. They want to protect their borders and develop some
kind of economy for their country, but since they do not have a sovereign or
legitimate government their efforts are looked as hostile on the international
level. These pirates consider their hijacking of foreign ships as their job and
duty. Especially, since this foreign ships come into Somali seas and over fish
and pollute Somali fisheries. According to the New York Times interview we read
for class, these Somali pirates do not want to be violent instead they want to
protect their seas. A good point was made in class, if a foreign ship came into
U.S. waters with an excessive amount of military grade weapons then the United
States would without a doubt seize the ship along with the weapons. This would
not be seen as piracy, because we have a stable and efficient government with
working institutions. The only reason why these pirates are not considered as a
legitimate coast guard is because Somali does not have a legitimate government.
Somali
may not be seen as having a legitimate government, but these pirates are
surprisingly efficient. It is unfair to dub these pirates as groups of angry
hijackers especially since they are extremely organized. According to The Economist, Somali pirates
have an actual organization to their expeditions and the money that they seize
from foreign vessels. This shows that Somalis have the ability to run efficient
institutions; they just need to develop a basis for a stable executive
government.
Without
a legitimate government and efficient institutions, Somalia still struggles
with terrorists groups – such as Al Shaabab – and conflicts with foreign
states. These struggles have little to do with the environment especially since
the same conflicts that occur at sea also occur on land. If the state of
Somalia had a sovereign government they would be able to create strong
institutions that would in turn allow them to combat the influence of terrorist
groups and work to compromise with international actors at sea. Illegal fishing
obviously causes chaos on Somali seas, but it would not be an issue if Somalia
had the ability to discuss maritime and environmental policy with international
actors. But, since it is not considered as a legitimate government is unable to
bargain and compromise with the great powers of the world. The environment is a
factor in these sea conflicts but it is definitely not the ultimate cause – the
lack of a stable government with efficient institutions (a working political
culture) is the main cause of Somalia’s history ridden with conflict and
violence.
It seems that if there was a stable, legitimate government that the pirates could (theoretically) become the official "Coast Guard" of the country of Somalia. However, it seems that these pirates are using the coast guard narrative to effectively hijack and sell other valuable cargo on the ship for their own means, with little "Robin Hood" dynamics going on. Do you think that the Somali pirates really want a stable government given that they are pretty successful at their trade now? Would having a stable government render them essentially out of business?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest even though I am inclined to be relatively empathetic toward these pirates, I understand that what they are doing has become focused on making profits. They may not want a stable government, but in my opinion this further explains how a lack of institutions has worsen piracy and conflict. If Somalia was to stabilize and become internationally legitimate then maybe the would be able to create their own coast guard to combat pirates that have turned on the country. The government would also be able to work with foreign actors to combat terrorism and violent piracy more efficiently. Also if they had a stable government, foreign vessels that need canal access to transport oil and other goods would be more inclined to work with a legitimate coast guard so that they could move and trade fairly on Somali waters.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the UN or other intergovernmental organization has a role to play here in helping stability? It seems that it is only getting worse, with the pirates now being tied to Al Shabaab. But then I am wary of "democracy building" after Iraq and Afghanistan.
DeleteDo you think there is a manner in which the pirates could help to encourage the establishment of some form of legitimate government? Or that they ever could have? Similar to the manner in which some small resistance groups have had a profound effect on many governments, do you think this was ever an option for them? Or was the unorthodox organization of the group made that kind of task sit too far out of reach?
ReplyDeleteThe only way I think that these pirates could help establish a legitimate government in Somalia is to funnel the money that they have acquired into the mainland country. They can use the money to establish a civilian government rather than one lead my a military general. However, I can see how once these pirates keep acquiring money it could be hard for them to remain uncorrupt rather than greedy.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of establishing a true and non-corrupt government, could the pirates actually run this government or give advice to it? It seems that the international community would never recognize or respect the pirates after what they've done. Also, is it possible that the pirates have become corrupt that there is no chance of them turning back?
ReplyDelete