Pirates of the Red Sea

Piracy in the Somalia has been poorly understood and consequently the international strategy designed to curtail it has not worked. Despite expensive naval deployment in the area some of the pirates have extended their exploits beyond the Red Sea and deep into the Indian Ocean. Professor Samatar makes the claim that several pirate types driven by different logics have operated along the Somali coast and all but one of these pirates emerged as a result of Somali state’s disintegration. In contrast, pirates in other Third World regions operate under established states. He argues that piracy is not only a matter of robbery in the high seas, but that political economy/political ecology and conflicts over resources have been fundamental to the rise of piracy in the region. This community briefing will offer a more refined assessment of piracy in the region as well as a critical appraisal of the moral economy of Somali pirates which yields an alternative method of understanding and curbing the problem.

Abdi Samatar received his Ph.D from the University of California Berkeley and is currently the Chair of the Department of Geography, at the University of Minnesota. His most recent publications are: (1) The Dialectics of Piracy in Somalia: the rich versus the poor (2010) and (2) Debating Somali Identity in a British Tribunal (2006 & 2010).

Co-sponsored with the Center for African Studies
RSVP Requested, email PriorityAfrica [at] yahoo.com or call 510 663 2255

Donation of $5 requested, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Snacks, drinks provided