The Economic Costs of Maritime Piracy
By Anna Bowden et al. One Earth Future, December 2010.
Piracy significantly elevates the costs of international shipping and expenditures on security and patrolling, but its economic and human impact in Africa is equally considerable. In Kenya, a piracy premium forces up the cost of imports and exports by tens of millions of dollars each month. Basic food prices in Somalia have become more volatile, with spikes of 10 percent or more. And in Nigeria, piracy threatens some 50,000 jobs. [PDF]
Somalia: Pirates or Protectors?
By Andrew Mwangura. Pambazuka News, May 2010.
Each year hundreds of illegal vessels operate along Somalia’s coast and compete with many local fishermen, putting some out of business and overfishing many stocks. Somali pirates have garnered some popular support on the grounds that they deter such activity. Tandem efforts to counter both piracy and illegal fishing are needed to undermine the credibility piracy enjoys in Somalia. [LINK]
Diplomatic Efforts Against the Gulf of Aden Pirates: A Model from the Gulf of Guinea
By James Kraska and Brian Wilson. Harvard International Review, 2009.
The maritime domain is predominantly international and therefore efforts to address piracy require multi-national collaboration. Exemplary initiatives such as the sub-regional coast guard network arranged by the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa and the Maritime Security Trust Fund of the International Maritime Organization deserve greater support and attention. [LINK]Piracy off the Horn of Africa
By Lauren Ploch. Congressional Research Service, 2009. An in-depth analysis of the increase in pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia that began in 2008. Written for congressional lawmakers, the paper looks at U.S. and international (chiefly NATO and European Union) policy responses as of April 2009. [PDF]Pirates and How to Deal With Them
By Roger Middleton. Chatham House, 2009. This paper reports on the proceedings of a roundtable of experts brought together in February 2009 to clarify some of the legal concerns around combating piracy off the Somali coast, focusing on the international legal framework on piracy and legal issues surrounding the arrest and prosecution of pirates. [PDF]
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