Overview

Somali piracy is repeatedly associated with the historical specter of barbary. The world now fears Somalia has taken on its mantle by becoming a safe haven for terrorists wishing to wreak havoc on civilized societies. Western policy towards Somalia focuses on the country's poverty-stricken Islamic population, but are these efforts misdirected? Is an aggressive naval solution to the piracy problem adequate? Is the failure of the Somali state a useful explanation for piracy and will violent Islamism exploit modern piracy for its own ends? Martin Murphy, author of the definitive guide to modern maritime piracy and terrorism, employs his critically-acclaimed approach to review the history, motivation, organization, criminal methods, and operational tactics of Somali piracy, from its initial manifestation in the early-1990s to today. He links their activities and fortunes to the rise and fall of Somalia's political groups; explains how and why violent Islamists operate within Somalia; and outlines the extent to which they may exploit maritime dimensions in the future. He concludes with a consideration of the various political and military solutions being used to meet these challenges and whether they will resolve them effectively.

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9780231701549

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Reviews

Somalia: The New Barbary? is the first book to comprehensively study Somali piracy within the unique cultural, historical, political, and economic context from which the phenomenon arose in the twenty-first century. Martin Murphy brings both nuance and insight to bear on this important security concern, but does so in a manner accessible to the general reader. Highly recommended. -- J. Peter Pham, Senior Vice President, National Committee on American Foreign Policy, and editor in chief, The Journal of the Middle East and Africa Martin Murphy outlines a clear history of not only the Somalia piracy problem but also the wider issues of terrorist and insurgent infiltration. He provides in-depth insight that makes his book a must read for anyone interested in this complex topic. -- Rudy Atallah, Africa counterterrorism director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, CEO White Mountain Research Martin Murphy does a masterful job capturing the history of piracy, explaining the current threat and making some brilliant recommendations on how to prevent pirates from getting the upper hand in the years ahead. This book should be at the top of the reading list for every well educated naval officer. -- RA DM Terry McKnight, USN (Ret), Commander, Counter-Piracy Task Force-Gulf of Aden In this comprehensive, objective, well-documented, and well-organized study of Somali piracy, Martin Murphy cuts a clear path through the thicket of one-sided analysis and narrow policy positions surrounding his subject. Murphy's book should be read by everyone who wants a firm and reliable basis for understanding piracy and the possible responses to it. -- Michael Weinstein, Purdue University This is the first serious, authoritative study of Somali piracy, which I read with keen interest and agreement; it illuminates a fascinating topic. -- Ioan Lewis, Emeritus Professor, London School of Economics A serviceable version of recent Somali history and how it has given rise to piracy. -- Jeffrey Gettleman New York Review of Books 10/14/10 Murphy provides a fresh study with cogent arguments directly relevant to the current international approach to the problem. -- Commander John Patch, U.S. Navy (Retired) Naval Institute Proceedings 5/1/11 An invaluable and authoritative account of how Somali piracy has become such an entrenched and growing security threat to the international maritime vessels transiting those dangerous seas. -- Joshua Sinai The Washington Times 5/31/11

Martin Murphy outlines a clear history of not only the Somalia piracy problem but also the wider issues of terrorist and insurgent infiltration. He provides in-depth insight that makes his book a must read for anyone interested in this complex topic. -- Rudy Atallah, Africa counterterrorism director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, CEO White Mountain Research Martin Murphy does a masterful job capturing the history of piracy, explaining the current threat and making some brilliant recommendations on how to prevent pirates from getting the upper hand in the years ahead. This book should be at the top of the reading list for every well educated naval officer. -- RA DM Terry McKnight, USN (Ret), Commander, Counter-Piracy Task Force-Gulf of Aden In this comprehensive, objective, well-documented, and well-organized study of Somali piracy, Martin Murphy cuts a clear path through the thicket of one-sided analysis and narrow policy positions surrounding his subject. Murphy's book should be read by everyone who wants a firm and reliable basis for understanding piracy and the possible responses to it. -- Michael Weinstein, Purdue University This is the first serious, authoritative study of Somali piracy, which I read with keen interest and agreement; it illuminates a fascinating topic. -- Ioan Lewis, Emeritus Professor, London School of Economics A serviceable version of recent Somali history and how it has given rise to piracy. -- Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Review of Books

Somalia: The New Barbary? is the first book to comprehensively study Somali piracy within the unique cultural, historical, political, and economic context from which the phenomenon arose in the twenty-first century. Martin Murphy brings both nuance and insight to bear on this important security concern, but does so in a manner accessible to the general reader. Highly recommended. -- J. Peter Pham, Senior Vice President, National Committee on American Foreign Policy, and editor in chief, The Journal of the Middle East and Africa Martin Murphy outlines a clear history of not only the Somalia piracy problem but also the wider issues of terrorist and insurgent infiltration. He provides in-depth insight that makes his book a must read for anyone interested in this complex topic. -- Rudy Atallah, Africa counterterrorism director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, CEO White Mountain Research Martin Murphy does a masterful job capturing the history of piracy, explaining the current threat and making some brilliant recommendations on how to prevent pirates from getting the upper hand in the years ahead. This book should be at the top of the reading list for every well educated naval officer. -- RA DM Terry McKnight, USN (Ret), Commander, Counter-Piracy Task Force-Gulf of Aden In this comprehensive, objective, well-documented, and well-organized study of Somali piracy, Martin Murphy cuts a clear path through the thicket of one-sided analysis and narrow policy positions surrounding his subject. Murphy's book should be read by everyone who wants a firm and reliable basis for understanding piracy and the possible responses to it. -- Michael Weinstein, Purdue University This is the first serious, authoritative study of Somali piracy, which I read with keen interest and agreement; it illuminates a fascinating topic. -- Ioan Lewis, Emeritus Professor, London School of Economics A serviceable version of recent Somali history and how it has given rise to piracy. -- Jeffrey Gettleman New York Review of Books 10/14/10 Murphy provides a fresh study with cogent arguments directly relevant to the current international approach to the problem. -- Commander John Patch, U.S. Navy (Retired) Naval Institute Proceedings 5/1/11 An invaluable and authoritative account of how Somali piracy has become such an entrenched and growing security threat to the international maritime vessels transiting those dangerous seas. -- Joshua Sinai The Washington Times 5/31/11 Somalia, the New Barbary? thus takes the reader beyond the breakers, which may be all of Somalia that most analysts of the current maritime scene have examined, and returns us to essential questions on the water. It is an experience every reader with an interest in matters that impel naval operations ought to embrace. -- Charles N. Dragonette Naval War College Review Summer 2011 Somalia is illuminating reading for those who are curious about the complexities that contributed to the Somali piracy issue. Military Review 4/1/12

Author Information

Martin Murphy is an internationally recognized expert on piracy and irregular conflict at sea. He is a research fellow at the Center for Foreign Policy Studies, Dalhousie University, and visiting fellow at the Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies, King's College, London. Between 2008 and 2010, he was a senior fellow at the Center forStrategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Small Boats, Weak States, Dirty Money: Piracy and Maritime Terrorism in the Modern World, widely recognized as a top academic and naval title.

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