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Regional Dimensions of Somali Piracy and Militant Islamism: Anthropological and Econometric Evidence

  • Currun Singh EMAIL logo und Arjun Singh Bedi
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 7. November 2013
Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy
Aus der Zeitschrift Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy Band 19 Heft 3

Abstract

This paper argues for a sub-regional approach to Somali piracy and militant Islamism, departing from prevailing state-centric mindsets and practices. The first section presents an anthropology that explains why piracy and Islamism emerged where they did when they did. It elaborates the geographically distinct cultures of law and livelihood that enabled each phenomenon to emerge only in particular sub-regions. Drawing on diverse factors including xeer (clan-based law), sharia (Islamic law), and practices of nomadic pastoralism (e.g., livestock raiding), the paper proposes a regional lens for the analysis of Somali crime and governance. The next section takes up this regional lens and specifies a statistical model for the incidence of piracy by sub-state region from 1993 to 2011, identifying the effect of Islamist rule on piracy. In all, the paper contends (a) that Somali political and criminal phenomena be disaggregated by region; and (b) that pirates and Islamists, contrary to mainstream discourse, are antagonists.

Keywords: Somalia; piracy; terrorism
Corresponding author: Currun Singh, International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, E-mail:
  1. 1

    We thank Bridget Coggins for providing an updated version of the Maritime Piracy Database.

  2. 2

    Since the dependent variable is count data with a large proportion of time periods with zero incidents (67%) we estimate a zero-inflated negative binomial regression. This approach allows for over dispersion emanating from the large proportion of zero incidents. Statistical tests favor this model over a standard negative binomial regression and a Poisson model.

We thank two anonymous referees and the editor for comments.

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Published Online: 2013-11-07
Published in Print: 2013-12-01

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  4. Introduction
  5. International Relations
  6. Major Power Status (In)Consistency and Political Relevance in International Relations Studies
  7. New Incentives and Old Organizations: The Production of Violence After War
  8. When the Weak Roar: Understanding Protracted Intrastate Conflict
  9. Determinants of Extremism
  10. You Shall Not Overkill: Substitution Between Means of Group Removal
  11. Does Higher Education Decrease Support for Terrorism?
  12. The Curvilinear Effects of Economic Development on Domestic Terrorism
  13. Regional Dimensions of Somali Piracy and Militant Islamism: Anthropological and Econometric Evidence
  14. Institutions Factors and Violence
  15. Climate Change and the Risk of Mass Violence: Africa in the 21st Century
  16. Constitutional Design and Conflict Management in Africa
  17. An Overview of the Influence of Domestic Constraints on Crisis Initiation and Termination
  18. Consequences of War and Militarization
  19. Macroeconomic Consequences of War and Terrorism in Lebanon
  20. A Note on War and Fiscal Capacity in Developing Countries
  21. On Defence Expenditure Reduction: Balancing Between Austerity and Security in Greece
  22. North Korea as a Military Dictatorship
https://doi.org/10.1515/peps-2013-0037
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
Somalia; piracy; terrorism

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  4. Introduction
  5. International Relations
  6. Major Power Status (In)Consistency and Political Relevance in International Relations Studies
  7. New Incentives and Old Organizations: The Production of Violence After War
  8. When the Weak Roar: Understanding Protracted Intrastate Conflict
  9. Determinants of Extremism
  10. You Shall Not Overkill: Substitution Between Means of Group Removal
  11. Does Higher Education Decrease Support for Terrorism?
  12. The Curvilinear Effects of Economic Development on Domestic Terrorism
  13. Regional Dimensions of Somali Piracy and Militant Islamism: Anthropological and Econometric Evidence
  14. Institutions Factors and Violence
  15. Climate Change and the Risk of Mass Violence: Africa in the 21st Century
  16. Constitutional Design and Conflict Management in Africa
  17. An Overview of the Influence of Domestic Constraints on Crisis Initiation and Termination
  18. Consequences of War and Militarization
  19. Macroeconomic Consequences of War and Terrorism in Lebanon
  20. A Note on War and Fiscal Capacity in Developing Countries
  21. On Defence Expenditure Reduction: Balancing Between Austerity and Security in Greece
  22. North Korea as a Military Dictatorship
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