Johann Hari is not usually an unreasonable commentator (unlike many contributors to Global Research) and many of the historical facts about pirates (at least some pirates) are true. However, just as in the past, the justification for preventing piracy are also valid, even if the reasons for the piracy is understandable. I do not think it would be an accurate picture to see these guys as modern day Robin Hoods. They are increasingly well armed (you get a lot of guns for a million dollars) and are becoming local warlords as well as pirates.

I also do not believe the story about nuclear waste being dumped off the coast since now Somalia has no government. First of all, even when it did have a government it would, along with many other states, have been unable to prevent such dumping. Also I would like to know why someone, with a ship full of waste, would bother to go all the way to the Somali coast when it would be quicker and easier to simply go into deep water (anywhere in an ocean) and dump it.

I would not go big on the conspiracy idea, Momo. Somalia is the only place where piracy has extended to capture of large ships. As someone who sails a yacht occasionally, I am aware that there have been a few areas where a yacht can be hijacked, though the Somali coast features large here in the last few years too.

I take your point about the dumping. So there is someone in Somalia who is claiming to represent their state that is giving permission to the dumping of waste? The question of why a certificate signed by a random Somali should be worth anymore than one signed by you, me or Neptune was not asked I suppose. I didn't know this - I will look on the web when time allows. I would have though there were controls about simply dumping at sea (permission or not) though.

Now, T. Don't cast aspersions on the legitimization of their criminal activities. You know they capture those ships because it is the only way to lift Somali society to the same status as other modern nations. How else are they going to access the funds necessary to build schools, infrastructure, and factories?