Greed, grievances and anarchy at sea : human security and Somali piracy : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2011
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Open Access Location
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Massey University
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Abstract
In
recent
years
there
has
been
a
dramatic
upsurge
in
piracy
off
the
Somali
coast.
In
2009
alone,
there
were
217
reported
incidences
of
Somali
piracy,
with
857
seafarers
being
held
hostage.
This
piracy
clearly
has
significant
ramifications
for
global
security
and
development,
and
must
therefore
be
addressed.
It
is
often
stated
that
piracy
is
little
more
than
a
‘symptom’
of
greater
problems
on
land.
However,
current
counter-‐piracy
measures
have
largely
been
dominated
by
naval
fixes,
while
failing
to
address
the
underlying
issues
driving
piracy.
This
thesis
adopts
a
human
security
framework
to
analyze
the
underlying
economic,
social,
cultural,
political
and
environmental
conditions
on
land
that
are
contributing
to
the
causation
of
Somali
piracy.
This
analysis
is
intended
to
evaluate
economic
rationalist
(greed)
and
grievance-‐based
understandings
of
piracy,
and
thus
shed
light
on
the
root
causes
of
Somali
piracy,
revealing
possible
avenues
to
address
these
causes.
To
achieve
this
aim,
a
qualitative
analysis
of
media
interviews
with
Somali
pirates,
and
other
key
actors,
has
been
conducted
in
combination
with
a
critical
review
of
available
information
on
Somali
piracy
and
human
security
in
Somalia.
Overall,
this
study
finds
that
weak
human
security
and
external
violations
of
human
security
in
Somalia
underpin
many
of
the
factors
driving
piracy
off
the
Somali
coast,
suggesting
that
Somali
piracy
is
a
human
security
issue,
which
requires
integrated
development
and
security
solutions.
Therefore,
this
thesis
proposes
that
ensuring
human
freedoms
in
Somalia
is
the
only
sustainable
means
of
addressing
Somali
piracy.
Description
Keywords
Hijacking of ships, Piracy, Maritime terrorism, Human security, Politics and government, Somalia, Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Political science::Peace and development research