Al Jazeera’s Akthar min Ra’i podcast library contains an interesting discussion recorded May 20, 2009 between Sami Haddad (moderator), a former Reagan-era official and a Somali diplomat. The question, typical Al Jazeera, “What’s behind the Western anti-piracy armada? Is its purpose really to cut down on piracy, or is the real goal Western hegemony over Bab El Mandeb, as a counterweight perhaps to Iranian influence over Hormuz?” The Somali diplomat argues piracy began with frustration, or desperation, at illegal fish-harvesting by Western, Asian and Yemeni fleets, and widespread dumping of toxic waste, both in the wake of the dissolution of central government control in the early 90s (See also the recently published quasi- fictional diary of a Somali pirate, “Moi, Osmane, Pirate Somalien”, by Laurent Merer, Koutoubia, 2009). Haddad: “Certainly you’re not accusing the the Gulf Arabs of stealing your fish and dumping radioactive waste on your shores–yet they’ve been targeted as well. “No, no”, the Somali continues, “this is just how it all started.” The former American official takes issue with the AlJazeera thesis, as well as the effectiveness of the ‘big boat’ approach to piracy, advocating more effective arming of ships that transit the area. –EDC
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