Defeating the evil of piracy

Defeating the evil of piracy- Arab News 9 April 2009

Six more ships have been seized in recent days by Somali pirates bringing to 25 the number of vessels hijacked so far this year. After 150 attacks and 50 successful seajacks last year, it is clear the scourge is increasing. It is time the gloves came off. This is not a victimless crime in which it is only insurance companies that have to pay. The implicit threat in any hostage taking, whether a single kidnapped individual or an ocean-going ship with crew, is that unless the extortionists' demands are met, harm will come to the vessel, its cargo and all the people aboard. It should cut no ice that so far most of the captured crewmen have been well treated by the pirates. But getting tough with these villains has to remain within international law and clear limits. Two UN resolutions, 1838 and 1816 respectively, allow all means including force to combat piracy in internal waters and permit operations to continue in Somali waters, but only with the permission of the transitional government in Mogadishu. The problem is that the Somali authorities are completely powerless to influence the activities of the criminals, who are centered on the port of Eyl. There is also intelligence that the multimillion-dollar revenues being generated by these criminals are attracting Al-Qaeda elements, anxious to cash in themselves on this seemingly endless bounty. Piracy, it seems, is actually contributing to the instability of the transitional government. But whether Mogadishu can risk giving formal carte blanche to the international naval forces assembled against the pirates is another matter. To do so might only weaken its already extremely weak position. The answer, therefore, is for a new UN resolution that recognizes the powerlessness — for the moment — of the Somali authorities to act against the pirates and authorizes international units to operate against the pirates within Somali national waters. What must not, however, happen, in any circumstances, is for any one to repeat the action last year of French government, and launch a land action, or even bombard Eyl. What is needed instead is for a comprehensive blockade of the Somali coast using both warships and satellite surveillance. This will stop pirates at sea from returning home and trap the other pirates on shore. Rules of engagement must be clear and uniform. Any vessel challenged must stop and be inspected. Vessel that refuses will be sunk. There is in truth more at stake here than the safety of the vital international sea-lanes off the East African coast. Other pirates will be watching the continuing success of Somali criminals. There are other key areas for international trade, particularly in Asia where shipping is highly vulnerable. Twenty years ago there was a real problem in the Philips Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia, which was only tackled after resolute action by local states. No such solution exists off Somalia. Not only should the Somali coast be blockaded comprehensively and aggressively but ships need to be moved in protected convoys. This evil of piracy really must be stopped. Anatomy of a recession Excerpts from an editorial in The Times yesterday: After the humbling comes the shrinking. After Sir Fred Goodwin, the deluge: the Royal Bank of Scotland announced yesterday that its most famous former employee is to be joined by 9,000 more, half of them made redundant abroad and half in the UK. There has not been a more powerful proof since the financial crisis began that its effects are now being felt not just by the institutions and individuals that created it, but by the people who worked for them. The RBS job cuts will be politically painful for a government that now owns 70 percent of the bank. They will, more importantly, be materially painful for thousands of back-office workers who never aspired to be masters of the universe but never — until last year — seriously contemplated being laid off either. It will not console them much that their personal misfortune, confirmed days after the G-20's announcement of a $1.1 trillion global fiscal stimulus, may yet be seen as an important marker in this recession. It constitutes a step from one phase to another: The maelstrom that swept through the Western economies last autumn may at last be subsiding. It is now the real economy that is suffering. This does not mean that a corner has been turned; on the contrary, financial collapse is inflicting huge damage on investment, output and employment. But at least a corner may be in sight, in which case this moment can be called the end of the beginning. What follows will be more tolerable than what the world economy has experienced over the past 18 months in one vital respect: The global financial system has begun to emerge from a period of frightening uncertainty. Central bankers no longer live each day in morbid fear of the next collapse of a banking or insurance giant. The infamous roster begun by Northern Rock may yet be joined by other names, but if so the policy response is predictable. The government will provide funds in return for an equity stake on the taxpayer's behalf.

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