Piracy off the Coasts of Somalia

This brief examines the explosive growth in piracy off the Somalian coast in 2008. The author explains the phenomenon as a combination of "push" and "pull" factors, the former forcing and the latter luring Somalis into piracy. The paper critically surveys international counter-piracy efforts and concludes with a partly optimistic prediction: Piracy is likely to decline, either because international shipping will shift to routes south of Africa, or because Islamist groups will take control of the country and manage to suppress piracy.

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