The International Response to Somali Piracy: Introduction

The international response to Somali piracy ranges from media coverage throughout the world to donor conferences to generate financial sources to invest in state-building initiatives in Somalia, as well as the international naval presence and adjustments to the insurance rates for maritime shipping. The challenges are numerous, and some will be dealt with in this book. This book is concerned mainly with actions taken at the international level to remove the threat of piracy and to minimize the damage it is causing. The main emphasis in this volume is on initiatives by foreign (non-Somali) and international governmental actors – primarily initiatives at sea but also those on land and in the legal sphere that are closely related or complementary to what is taking place at sea. Of course Somali actors and foreign non-state actors – especially the international shipping industry – are important players as well, but we will approach these primarily in relation to actions taken by foreign governmental actors.