Are the Somali Pirates the Only Pirates?

Yarrgh! Ahoy me matie! Shiver me timbers, there be pirates hiding everywhere, so keep yer wits about ye!

Pirates hiding everywhere? And, if so, are the Somali pirates the only pirates?

In 1991, the government of Somalia collapsed, leaving in its midst, nine million people near starvation, and without a united state that is represented in the UN or any other international body, Somalia was left vulnerable to European, Asian and Arabian piracy and their illegal dumping of nuclear waste off the coast of Somalia - "much of this can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply".

Since last year alone, 80% of the Somali people are in need of emergency relief - due, in large part, to the illegal fishing and toxic dumping- yet despite their contribution to the plight of the Somalis, the European, Asian and Arabian governments did nothing to help.

This massive “Global Armada” invasion is carried out on the pretext to protect the busy shipping trade routes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from Somali shipping piracy, which threatens to disrupt these international lifeline sea ways. While there are two equally nasty, criminal, inhuman and exploiting gangs of pirates in Somalia, only one of them is publicized by the western media: the Somali shipping pirates attacking merchant shipping in these sea lanes, where the illegal poachers are also actively operating.

There is no doubt that the political turmoil and humanitarian devastation in war-torn Somalia, "where an unpopular U.S.-backed central government is fighting an Islamist-led insurgency," according to the humanitarian news agency Inter Press Service (IPS) is directly related to the increase in Somali piracy. What began as the Somali people trying to defend themselves against massive corporate interests, unfortunately, transformed itself into full blown piracy, as one can imagine after getting a taste of the wealth and luxury they've never known.

In January of this year, after Ethiopian troops withdrew their forces from the country, a new government was formed - Somalia's best opportunity in almost 20 years. However, this government continues to be violently opposed by various Islamic groups, most notably al Shabaab, and the new government has not been able to establish itself in order to provide civilians with protection or meet the needs of the people.

Some American hawks are claiming that Al Shabab is working closely with Al Qaeda. Now, considering that not too long ago, we heard the repeated charge that Saddam Hussein was in cahoots with Osama bin Laden, we, the people should make sure this is the case before allowing our government to jump the gun and create a new military action.

"We've been here before. Since 2001, in an effort to provide a distinguished pedigree for the Global War on Terror and prove the superiority of war over diplomacy, conservative pundits and historians have regularly tried to compare al-Qaida to the Barbary pirates of the 1800s. They were wrong then. And with the current conflating of terrorism and piracy, it's déjà vu all over again."

Nuclear Waste Dumping, Fish Poaching and U.S.-Backed Proxy War Drive Somalia's Coastal Crisis