An-arrrr-chy

There was news today that Somali pirates hijacked a French yacht and kidnapped two French citizens in the Gulf of Aden. (Look at the header, between the 'i' and the 's' of the word 'Zeitgeist'.) It is perhaps a lesser-known fact of the global economy that maritime piracy isn’t confined to Disney Movies and the Days of Yore. Piracy is one of the world’s oldest professions, and it’s still a serious problem: this is the 30th such attack this year in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. There’s also very little romantic about it: think less Jack Sparrow and more heavily-armed, ruthless thugs. Modern tactics include kidnapping, extortion, and bribery.

Piracy is a symptom of lawlessness and weak maritime power. It’s no coincidence that the Gulf of Aden is located in the territorial waters of Somalia, which hasn’t had a functioning government since the early 90s. Piracy also flourishes in the waters of Southeast Asia, where local law enforcement will sometimes turn a blind eye for a cut of the profits. And what a profit it can be: in 2006, piracy costs the global shipping industry around $16 billion.

The US Navy announced in August that it would begin patrolling the Gulf of Aden again in an effort to disrupt piracy there. How much difference this will make is unclear: the US Navy has intervened against pirates in the past. But the attacks continue and have even spiked in recent years. As mentioned, there’s a lot of money to be made, and world geography has created natural shipping lanes. Sometimes it is difficult or costly to avoid the chokepoints where pirates operate.

Perhaps the global community should consider re-legalizing privateering?

UPDATE: Looks like Blackwater is one step ahead of us yet again. Curse those wily mercenaries! (Hat tip: John Thorne... word on the street is he may resurrect his amazing blog, Whiskey Tango Farley)

(Image: Blackbeard’s flag, linked via Lighthouse Patriot Journal)