Is Piracy a problem?

If mariners ran the world we wouldn't be having this discussion: How serious is the problem of piracy?

Galrahn at Information Dissemination - at Piracy Exploits Our Strategic and Tactical Flaws writes:

"We are already fighting two wars and piracy is not a threat to our freedom of navigation in those seas, so there is no reason to either panic or rush into what will be a very difficult challenge."

This quote alone doesn't do the post justice - there are some good links and interesting comments as well.

Claude Berube at the CS Monitor, the other view has:Somalia's piracy problem is everyone's problem.

From the article:

The issue is not whether piracy is tied to terrorism, but rather how terrorists or others might employ piratical tactics. If nonstate actors find the tactic is sound and the defense against it untenable, then it will be used to conduct similar or more spectacular operations. How would nonstate actors or other future belligerents interpret any success by the pirates? Absent an effective response to lawlessness, Somali piracy may be a prism to view potential copycat killers

Commenter Sekulich writes:

I would suggest to anyone interested that they seek out a paper written by retired Army colonel Dr. Max Manwaring of the U.s. Army War College on the way that small gangs morph into entities with political clout and global strategic implications.

As a mariner, my sense is that we like things shipshape for a reason. Disorder can lead to unexpected problems.

K.C.