The Context of Contemporary Piracy: The Case of Somalia

Piracy cannot be understood or addressed without knowledge of the political and socio-economic context of this criminal enterprise. Piracy economies are dynamic — the drivers, tactics and actors involved can and do change over time, necessitating counter-piracy strategies designed to adapt to these changes. Drawing on the Somalia case, we argue that anti-piracy responses to date have been only partially effective because they are not rooted in a sound understanding of the local political economy, because the benefits that accrue to pirates and their financial backers far outweigh the potential costs of capture, and because of the many legal impediments to effective disposition of captured pirates.