Following up on Joe’s post yesterday about the return of the pirates, Jonathan Stevenson says it’s time for an anti-piracy coalition of the willing. Somali pirates have been responsible for 84 attacks in 2008 alone–a 75% increase on the 2007 pace:
Given their range of targets, one might think that they are suicidally determined to antagonize as many major powers as possible, perhaps obscurely motivated by jihadism or nationalistic pride. But that would be wrong. Although 97% of Somalis are Sunni Muslim, they are traditionally secular and socially oriented more toward their extended family networks–their clans–than their state, which is in any case dysfunctional.
Prevailing ransom payments range from $500,000 to $2 million, up from only tens of thousands of dollars five years ago. While they may deal for profit with some Islamist militias, they’re probably into piracy mainly for the money.
RELATED: The Indian Navy claims it sank a pirate ship. Gerald Posner in The Daily Beast says the ransom money trail leads to Dubai.