The failure of Somalia revolved around both international and local factors that hindered the political and economic stability of the people. Foremost, before the country gained independence in 1960, foreign powers exploited its resources their benefit. Central to the mentioned exploitation was the building of the Suez Canal in 1869 that subsequently made Somalia the “mid-point between Europe and Asia” (2mins). In concurrence with the apparent benefits of the country, the narrator informs viewers that the territories of Somalia were colonized by “Britain, France, and then Italy,” all of whom solely sought the benefits of the lucrative trade routes (2mins). Now, independence did not necessarily mean autonomy; on the contrary, the people of Somalia and their country became pawns that the world super powers used to further their interests. For example, although not specified when at some point during the Cold War “Russia and then America” armed the Somali people to fight the actual battles of the same (3mins). When the Americans and Russians withdrew from the area, they left devastation[s] behind as Somalia plunged into inter-communal wars that destroyed the country’s defenses, leaving it vulnerable to other nations. Concurrently, the lack of a government and a coastguard means the shores of Somalia are susceptible to invasions, and the locals can do nothing about the same (5mins). A perfect illustration of the given claim is evident in the witness accounts that report seeing “toxic wastes” dumped into Somali waters and the resulting deaths of “sea animals” (10mins). Additionally, the people say foreign vessels fish in the same water that sustained the citizens’ livelihoods with, to mention a few, “fish and lobster” (5mins). It is at this point that the local factors come into play.
Extensively, the peoples’ response to the invasion of outside vessels on Somali waters marked the failure of the country. All the interviewed individuals voiced their bitterness over the apparent disregard with which the foreigners dumped toxins and took what Somali property: the sea creatures. Accordingly, the people resorted to capturing the ships that ventured too close to the shoreline and as one would expect, piracy emerged as a new source of income (7mins). The problem is, not all of the Somali citizens could engage in piracy and for that reason, ransom money gained from hijacking foreign vessels plunged the country into severe inflation (25mins). Hence, rather than aid the people of Somalia, piracy merely destroyed their economy and probably continues to do so with every million dollars coerced from governments and ship stakeholders.
With the given facts in mind, piracy is not a legitimate form of economic activity. First, as mentioned above, the fast acquisition of money by only a selected number of individuals destroyed Somalia’s economic infrastructure. At the same time, the trade itself poses a danger to the life of every person who opts for the same. Still, perhaps the worst case documented in the video is the dehumanizing nature with which pirates treat their hostages, just as the Navy does to their persons. In one scene, a renowned privateer states that he was sure to look after his captives because they were “the merchandise” (25mins). Concurrently, international navy forces protecting vessels passing through the Suez Canal handle every Somali individual who happens to be in the waters as criminals without evidence of the same. One commenter refers to a case of “four small boys” accused of piracy merely because they happened to be fishing (43mins). Another incident that is worth mentioning is that of “Tanit,” a small boat on which French civilians were traveling but were unlucky as the Somali pirates spotted their vessel and promptly took them as hostages on April 4, 2009 (49-50mins). What ensued after the French navy came after the boat cements the given assertion of piracy being illegitimate. In an apparent desperate attempt to thwart the plans of the pirate, the French powers mistakenly shot one of the male civilians, “Florent” (62mins). Evidently the criminal nature of piracy desensitized both sides, and an innocent man died because of the same. After all, while one of the pirates held a gun at Chloe’s (the narrator of Florent’s death) head, the French men held their weapons steadily, yet they aimed at a boat with a woman, a child, and two men who were all innocent and victims of a piracy heist.
References
Rogan, J. (n.d). "The Trouble With Pirates." Vimeo. N.p., Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/16169214
