The Rebirth and Resurgence of Port Royal Piracracy?

This Holy Week, America and the world witnessed something it had not seen in 150+ years - the taking of an American sea captain by pirates. This has heightened our alarm and the concerns of many others regarding the rebirth and resurgence of a "Port Royal" type of Piracracy. (Follow the Piracracy link to the Urban Dictionary). Though not a pure piracracy, it seems to follow closely the history and conditions witnessed in early Port Royal, Jamaica. For some more information on the early Port Royal, see David Cordingly's rather excellent book "Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates" (Chapter 8).





This site has previously expressed its concern and possible solution(s) to the growing Piracracy and piracy problem coming out of Somalia. We briefly touched on the thesis - or notion - that part of the cause of the problem is the deresourcing and/or desimonization of Somalia's marine and maritime resources, including fishing and other industries. Purportedly, this crisis has been partly brought about by foreign nations, conglomerates and so on intruding on the sovereign Somalia coastline and nearby maritime regions and economy. Extraction of the fish population has driven some of the Somali's to find gainful occupation elsewhere. Unfortunately, this tends to have resulted in the highly illegal (and dangerous) practice of piracy. Piraculation due to deresourcing?

Now there is talk of a land invasion of Somalia to seek out and demoralize (or destroy?) some of the remaining pirates. More invasion onto Somalia's sovereign land and territory or a just cause to bring an end or mitigate some end to the growing piracy problem? Or, is this what comes of empire-building (to steal a phrase from the film "Breaker Morant")? How many more killshots will find the heads of young Somali pirates...or innocents (if a land invasion is imminent and occurs...)? Aside: If you really want to see people getting shot in the head, see "The Departed". But, we stray from the point...

Meanwhile, the word is that some of the pirates have vowed revenge for the deaths of the pirates in the Maersk Alabama rescue operation. Our advice to them would be to duck their heads if somebody says they see a red laser light pinpoint or some other targeting technique. Likely, it will be pointed right at them. And it seems that this good cause has grown not over a fight over money, ransom and booty, but over a bucket of fish and the world's growing, hungering population. It is always difficult to keep one's cool when others are losing their heads (literally...).

3 shots rang out in the night, ending standoff

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy_three_shots;_ylt=AsaVZsEVPe88YjKLskf3gmgDW7oF

Somali pirates seize two more ships and attack third

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre53d30q-us-somalia-piracy/

Undeterred, Pirates Snatch 4 More Ships

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7330011

U.S. lawmaker leaves Somalia amid mortars

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30191400/

Analysis: Obama scores win on pirate crisis

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30183355/

Spike to produce series chronicling U.S. Navy fighting pirates

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2009/04/13/tv-pirates-navy-series.html