The Maersk Alabama Piracy and Terrorism

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:45 pm

For years now, piracy has been a problem especially near the lawless nation of Somalia, but it took the capture of a U.S. operated ship for the problem to get worldwide attention, now some experts are cautioning that the motives for the piracy could be al-Qaeda affiliated terrorism, and money.

The Somali Justice Advocacy Center put out a statement today that cautioned the U.S. military not to use military force in the current hostage situation of Captain Richard Phillips, “This is not about piracy, but rather the absence of effective governance in Somalia. We caution the U.S. not to exercise the military option against piracy, which would further complicate the issue,” said Omar Jamal, Executive Director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center.

A commentary on the site Outlook India.com wonders if al-Qaeda is involved with piracy, “The possibility of links between Al Qaeda and at least some of the pirate groups needs to be taken seriously. Ever since 9/11, Al Qaeda has wanted to organize a major act of maritime terrorism to disrupt word trade and movement of energy supplies. Many of these pirates–if well-trained and well-motivated by Al Qaeda– could provide a new source of oxygen to it.”

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What is fueling the speculation that this might be more than a case of piracy for ransom is that there has still been no ransom demand made to the owner of the Maersk Alabama. However, the pirates have been growing bolder in their attacks over the past two years, so the current U.S. situation could be viewed as a typical attack with the motive being ransom. However, the problem of lawlessness in Somalia and al-Qaeda’s involvement in the country should not be overlooked. Piracy could be a lucrative and easy revenue stream for terrorist organizations.

One of the long term consequences of George W. Bush’s fighting al-Qaeda where they weren’t strategy in Iraq is that it gave the organization time to grow in other areas such as Somalia. We don’t know who is behind the Maersk Alabama attack yet, but this incident should serve as a wakeup call for the U.S. government.

The piracy issue is related to terrorism, and it shouldn’t be treated as if it isn’t. The U.S. has been reluctant to go back into Somalia since the disaster that occurred early in the Clinton administration, but the issue can’t be ignored any longer. The world must develop a serious and unified approach to piracy, before it is used to fund a terrorist attack.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association