Foreign Policy in Somalia resulting on a 'failed state'

Head Quarter of Piracy

Abstract

“The pirates are very good at what they do. They’re very well-armed. Tactically, they are very good” (Carlson, 2009). This declaration was made by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, following the most spectacular hijacking led by Somali pirates. On November 15, 2008, the most important piracy attack took place 833 kilometers off the coast of Kenya. The target was the Saudi-owned 300-meter supertanker Sirius Star, carrying over $100 million USD worth of crude oil (Otterman, & McDonald, 2008). This historical event highlighted the incredible capacity of a newly developed pseudo-business in the Gulf of Aden, the business of piracy. According to the article 101 ‘Definition of Piracy’ of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, piracy is defined as “any illegal act of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft”. [...]