Foreign Fishing Piracy vs. Somalia Piracy - Does Wrong Equal Wrong?
Barry Law Review, Vol. 14, Issue 1, 2010
24 Pages Posted: 21 Oct 2012
Date Written: 2010
Abstract
This article is a sequel (and in some ways, a 'prequel') to our last article, On the Evolution of the Law of International Sea Piracy. That piece, prepared in April 2009, attempted to illustrate the enormous problem of sea piracy off of Somalia. It was updated through October 2009 and published in December 2009.
We were invited to, and participated in, a conference sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy Center. Professor Robert Rotberg, Director of the Intrastate Conflict program at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, was the coordinator for two days of intensive presentations and discussions (10-12 December, 2009). As a result of the conference, Harvard published a policy statement on how to combat sea piracy, with an emphasis on Somalia. In addition to your authors, the twenty-two conference panelists included individuals from different think tanks, the intelligence community, the U.S. State Department, and the military, including one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After each session's panelists presented individually, we launched into discussions. Prior to the conference, each panelist submitted a synopsis, which served to focus our discussions.
Your authors discussed jurisdiction, sovereignty, the environment and human refugees who may be affected by sea piracy. We also learned quite a bit of new information. For example, one of the gentlemen present was from an African country. He provided a viewpoint that was both interesting and disturbing, and took us back to Somalia and a way of life that existed prior to the recent surge of piracy in that region. We left the conference inspired to write this article which sets forth a view of why Somali piracy started and some of the problems created by these illegal acts. Harvard's policy statement will speaks for itself.
Keywords: piracy, international law
JEL Classification: K33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation