What happens when a political system loses the power broker? A vacuum occurs, and nature abhors a vacuum. In the case of the Somali pirates, the pirates saw the failed state and the lawlessness and filled the gap. Now, the pirates are ranging out hundreds of miles at sea in search of bigger targets and more lucrative paydays while the world shrugs and the US contemplates a law enforcement response to what has always been treated as a military operation.
The failure of the UN and other international organizations, let alone the various navies of the world to police the waters off the Somali coast has enabled the pirates to gain a stronghold from which to operate with near impunity.
The Obama Administration's weak showing on the foreign policy stage - whether it's a tight-lipped response to the capture of the Maersk Alabama and her captain, Richard Phillips, or the Iranians announcing the completion of the nuclear fuel cycle or the North Korean missile launch or the Russians pushing the Administration to make concessions even before entering into negotiations is fueling even further tests for the administration.
Each sign of weakness is being exploited and followed up with yet another test that the Administration appears ill-prepared to deal with.
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