Silly Question

Piracy.  Is it a crime?  Seems a silly question, doesn't it?  Yet experts are asking this question quite seriously.

Their reasoning is that financial, social, and morale differences in places like Somalia make it a valid question.  When extreme poverty and lack of governance force the people to extreme acts, is it criminal or natural?

In Somalia, tribal elders of poverty-stricken seaside villages broker deals with outside criminals from interior cities or even other countries to fund piracy missions.  Then they "invest" with a local crew.

For the criminals it's another way to launder money from drugs, gunrunning, or bank robbery.  For tribal elders it's a way to get money into the local economy and make a profit while giving them deniablity.  For the impovershed and jobless young men it's an adventurous way to make some quick money.  For people aboard the taken ships it's a deadly nightmare.

Some people are calling out for a solution that doesn't involve another war effort.  The say it would be cheaper and more effective to help the Somali economy and break the cycle than send in a fleet.

This is rubbish, of course.  There will always be criminals with dirty money, greedy elders, and disenfranchised young men ready to conduct piracy.
 
If a mother steals bread for her starving family, is it a crime?  The right to survive in adversity is a recognized dilemma.  But extortion, torture, and murder are clear steps over a line.  Stolen bread causes little harm and clearly helps the family; piracy routinely causes great harm and benefits those who would do more harm.

The final test is simple.  If the criminal or the elder were robbed at gunpoint, would they protest?  Would they call it a crime?  Seek revenge and restitution?  Of course.

Piracy, like all illegal gang activities, is a crime.  It's not war, not natural, and not a financial disease to be cured.  Patrol, arrest, and prosecution is the only answer.