Events
Conference on piracy 'Pioneering for Solutions Against Piracy Focusing on a Geopolitical Analysis, Counter-piracy Initiatives and Policy Solutions' July 8 2009
Wednesday 8 July, 2009, Clingendael Security and Conflict Programme (CSCP) organized a conference on piracy entitled: Pioneering for Solutions Against Piracy Focusing on a Geopolitical Analysis, Counter-piracy Initiatives and Policy Solutions.
The number of piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia has skyrocketed, as have insurance fees for commercial shipping. Several states, as well as different security organizations, are sending warships to the area to deal with the problem. The problem of piracy is multi-faceted, and any attempt to find solutions should therefore take notion of the different dimensions of the problem.
The conference focused on four dimensions: the geopolitical dimension, the failed state and regional dimension, the legal dimension and the strategic dimension. In the panel on the geopolitical dimension the interrelationship between the piracy problem and the search for a new power-balance in the Indian Ocean was highlighted. The presentation on the failed state and regional dimension looked into the assumption that sustainable solutions for Somalian piracy will have to be found on land, as well as the policy implications of the regionalization of the problem. The presentation on the legal dimension focused on the problems concerning the legal definition of piracy, the lacunas in international law, the problems concerning evidence, extradition, etc. The strategic dimension presentation looked into the cooperation between the different naval powers present in the Somali basin, operational challenges and what implications this has for future cooperation between the different actors involved.
During the afternoon sessions there was time for discussions on relevant policy questions.