TY - JOUR
T1 - The dialectics of piracy in Somalia
T2 - The rich versus the poor
AU - Samatar, Abdi Ismail
AU - Lindberg, Mark
AU - Mahayni, Basil
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Somali piracy has been poorly understood and consequently the international strategy designed to curtail it has not worked. Because of this mismatch some of the pirates have extended their exploits deep into the Indian Ocean. This article provides an analysis which shows that several pirate types driven by different logics have operated along the Somali coast and all but one of these pirates emerged as a result of the Somali state's disintegration. In contrast, pirates in other Third World regions operate under established states. Therefore, we argue that piracy is not only a matter of robbery on the high seas, but that political economy and conflict over resources have been fundamental to the rise of piracy in the region. The article offers a more refined assessment of the piracy in the region, as well as a critical appraisal of the moral economy of Somali pirates which yields an alternative method of understanding and curbing the problem.
AB - Somali piracy has been poorly understood and consequently the international strategy designed to curtail it has not worked. Because of this mismatch some of the pirates have extended their exploits deep into the Indian Ocean. This article provides an analysis which shows that several pirate types driven by different logics have operated along the Somali coast and all but one of these pirates emerged as a result of the Somali state's disintegration. In contrast, pirates in other Third World regions operate under established states. Therefore, we argue that piracy is not only a matter of robbery on the high seas, but that political economy and conflict over resources have been fundamental to the rise of piracy in the region. The article offers a more refined assessment of the piracy in the region, as well as a critical appraisal of the moral economy of Somali pirates which yields an alternative method of understanding and curbing the problem.
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U2 - 10.1080/01436597.2010.538238
DO - 10.1080/01436597.2010.538238
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79955562365
SN - 0143-6597
VL - 31
SP - 1377
EP - 1394
JO - Third World Quarterly
JF - Third World Quarterly
IS - 8
ER -