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By Sen. Russ Feingold
Friday, April 17, 2009
After several anxious days watching a tense standoff at sea, Americans are overjoyed by the rescue of captain Richard Phillips and the crew of the Maersk Alabama. The bravery and resolve of Phillips and his crew are admirable, as are the resolute actions taken by the Navy SEALs and others responsible for the successful resolution to the hostage-taking.
Now, though, we must step back and look at the bigger picture. Why has piracy, which until recently was more likely to appear in movies than on the news, increased off the coast of Africa over the past couple of years?
In addition to the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama, there have been many other recent hijackings in the waters off what's known as the Horn of Africa on the continent's eastern coast. The increase in pirate attacks is a symptom of a much larger and more dangerous problem on shore: the absence of a functioning government in Somalia, which has made that country an ideal base for piracy operations and a fertile ground for terrorist organizations.
Somalia isn't just home to pirates; it's also a safe haven for terrorists, including al-Shabaab, an organization with ties to al-Qaida. With so many threats emanating from Somalia, we can't afford to just treat the symptoms; we need to address the central problem. To do that, the United States must make stabilizing Somalia a top priority.
Without an effective central government, Somalia is in a desperate situation, made even worse by neighboring Ethiopia recently sending troops into that country. Many observers have labeled Somalia the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. According to a local human rights group, an estimated 16,000 people have been killed since the start of 2007, with more than 28,000 people wounded and more than 1 million displaced. USAID has estimated that 3.2 million people, about half of the population, are in need of emergency assistance, including hundreds of thousands of refugees in neighboring countries.
Given these grim conditions, it is not surprising - though still inexcusable - that some Somalis have turned to piracy or extremism. There is no known relationship between the pirates and terrorist groups like al-Shabaab yet, but they are both outgrowths of Somalia's instability, and they both threaten our security.
Instead of trying to address Somalia's governance problem, the Bush administration focused on the symptoms by launching sporadic attacks on suspected terrorists. The Obama administration is more engaged on this problem, having started a review of U.S. policy toward Somalia. But it is disappointing that since the Maersk Alabama was hijacked, we have heard very little about the situation on land in Somalia that is causing the piracy problem.
The Obama administration cannot afford to delay offering a concrete and comprehensive plan for Somalia and the broader region. And it can't afford to rely primarily on military action to eliminate pirates or al-Shabaab, as some have suggested. That approach failed under the previous administration, and it could well make matters even worse by fueling instability, desperation and anti-Americanism in Somalia.
The ultimate solution to the threat of piracy and terrorism in Somalia is a functional government that can enforce the rule of law. The Obama administration should support efforts to create as inclusive a government as possible in Somalia, under the leadership of Somalia's newly elected president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. A government with broad-based support could stabilize the country, giving hope to the Somali people while denying pirates and terrorists safe haven.
Having a stable government in place has helped drive down piracy attacks before. In 2006, during the rule of the Council of Islamic Courts in southern Somalia, piracy levels decreased significantly. With our support, Somalia's new president may be able to provide security to his country, without the extremism that characterized the Islamic Courts' rule.
Obama handled the hijacking and hostage situation extremely well. His decision-making led to a successful resolution and the rescue of Phillips and his crew. With the focus of the world on the growing maritime insecurity off the African coast, however, we shouldn't just be talking about piracy. We must understand why piracy is on the rise and how we can change the conditions that allow it to thrive.
Until we address the dangerous situation on shore in Somalia, we will never address the root cause of this piracy problem or the terrorists that may pose an even bigger threat to our national security in the long run.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.