Environmental Piracy or How to Gain Sympathy While Plundering the African Coast Wearing an Eye-Patch

Al Jazeera is reporting that the pirates holding the MV Faina, a Ukranian ship carrying weapons, are demanding a ransom for the ship's release in order to clean up the coast of Somalia that has been a dumping ground for toxic waste, including nuclear material, by European and Asian vessels. The pirates allegation was confirmed by the UN envoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. So, two problems.

1. The pirates are no more than opportunists at best -- at worst, terrorists -- who are using piracy to cash-in on international trade to bolster their status at home -- funding power and religious struggles. They should be treated as such. They don't have noble goals. Selfishness and profit are their motives.
2. The environmental disaster that is being made off the coast of Somalia -- and I've got to wonder about elsewhere in Africa -- needs to stop. Not only has colonialism -- past, present and future, in its varied forms -- destroyed the people, but it's also taking their natural resources, environment and hope. This needs to stop, and we, in the first world nations need to stop it. If we stopped fucking with the continent and just leave them alone -- no weapons, no interference in domestic squabbles -- they'll be better off than if we were there.
   
   The environmental disaster we're making there seems to be lost on the international community. Dumping toxic material in the oceans is piddling in our bath. The oceans are ours. We're all connected. Funding wars that lead to further desertification of the continent affects the global environment in ways we are struggling to comprehend. The planet is a system. Mess with one part is messing with the entire system. We're not only killing Africans. We're killing ourselves.

Currently, there are about 10 ships being held by pirates. That is not the problem. That is a symptom. The bigger problem won't be solved by naval escorts and gunships in the region. It will be solved by the international community resolved to do something strategic -- something that requires foresight. Unfortunately, there's no hope for that as international leadership is sorely lacking.