More Piracy Near Somalia

[motorfirebox]

It's not really accurate to say the pirates have no political agenda. There are numerous quotes from captured Somali pirates in which they say they see themselves as an unofficial Coast Guard. A lot of that is just posturing, but Somalis are aware of the political situation in which they are embroiled, and politics are certainly the driving force behind the rise in piracy. Somalis turn to piracy because they don't have any other good options for survival. Their waters have been emptied of sea life by illegal non-Somali fishing operations and poisoned by illegal non-Somali waste-dumping operations. Whether or not that justifies piracy is arguable, but it's inarguable that if you put people in a desperate situation they will inevitably turn to desperate, and probably violent, measures.

Because the root cause is political, the solution can also be political. The cost effective solution is to simply kill Somali pirates whenever there gets to be too many. Whether that solution--especially that solution alone, with no attempt made to address the root issue--is morally or ethically defensible is, again, arguable.