Home

Research

Research Focus	Programmes and Projects
Defence, Industries and Society UK Defence Terrorism Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Arms Control Cyber-Security Conflict, War and Culture	Asia Africa Climate Change and Security Emergency Management European Security European Futures Project International Security Studies Alternative Energy and Sustainability Project Japan Maritime Studies	Military Sciences National Security and Resilience Middle East and North Africa Nuclear Analysis Risk and Resilience Security and Counter-Terrorism Air Power and Technology Transatlantic Security

Research Focus

Programmes and
Projects

Defence, Industries and Society

UK Defence

Terrorism

Nuclear Weapons
and Nuclear Arms Control

Cyber-Security

Conflict, War and Culture

Asia
Africa
Climate Change
and Security
Emergency Management
European Security
European Futures Project
International Security Studies
Alternative Energy and
Sustainability Project
Japan
Maritime Studies

Military Sciences
National Security and Resilience
Middle East and North Africa
Nuclear Analysis
Risk and Resilience
Security and Counter-Terrorism
Air Power and Technology
Transatlantic Security

Analysis

Themes			Regions
Defence Policy Defence Review Land Forces Law and Ethics Maritime Forces Military Personnel Defence Management Aerospace	Terrorism Domestic Security Global Security Issues Climate Security Nuclear Non-Proliferation Intelligence International Institutions Technology Information		Africa Americas Pacific Europe Middle East and North Africa Central and South Asia

Themes

Regions

Global Security Issues

Climate Security

Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Intelligence

International Institutions

Middle East and North Africa

Central and South Asia

Events

Events

Listings Conferences Highlights

Full list of events

Members Events

Major conferences

Previous events

Publications

Periodicals	Reports and Papers	Feature
RUSI Journal RUSI Newsbrief RUSI Defence Systems	Whitehall Papers Whitehall Reports Occasional Papers RUSI Books Other Publications	The Afghan Papers Committing Britain to War in Helmand, 2005-06 Ten years after British troops entered Afghanistan, a new book dissects the strategic decisions that took the UK to war in Helmand. More

Periodicals

Reports and Papers

Feature

RUSI Journal

RUSI Newsbrief

RUSI Defence Systems

The Afghan Papers
Committing Britain to War in Helmand, 2005-06

Ten years after British troops entered Afghanistan, a new book dissects the strategic decisions that took the UK to war in Helmand.

Membership

Membership

Membership Options For Members

Individual

Corporate

Members' Login

Networks
UK PONI

RUSI Under 35's Forum
Members' Events

Membership Options	For Members
Individual Corporate	Members' Login Networks UK PONI RUSI Under 35's Forum	Members' Events

About us

About us

About	People	More
About RUSI History	RUSI Council Staff Fellows and Associates	RUSI Library of Military History The RUSI Building RUSI.org Site Map	Read RUSI's Annual Report 2011-2012 More

About

People

Fellows
and Associates

RUSI Library of
Military History

The RUSI Building

RUSI.org Site Map

Read RUSI's
Annual Report 2011-2012

Contact us

Contact us

Contact Find us Follow us

Contact us

Staff directory

Find an expert
Location
Twitter

Facebook
Media

Media

RUSI Media Contact

RUSI News
Contact an expert

FOCUS - RUSI Newsletter

Contact	Find us	Follow us
Contact us Staff directory Find an expert	Location	Twitter Facebook

RUSI	Media	Contact
RUSI News	Contact an expert	FOCUS - RUSI Newsletter

Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies

Publications

Additional Info

Guidelines for Contributors: Information for prospective authors wishing to contribute to the RUSI Journal and other RUSI publications

Read more

Advertise with the RUSI Journal: The RUSI Journal reaches an international and influential audience of defence and international security professionals.

To advertise, email Tim Dumas

Download the media pack and rate card

Follow us on

Contacts

Purchase articles: Not a member of RUSI? To purchase individual RUSI Journal articles from this issue, or from our archive, click here.

TandF Online

Articles RSS feed

Debunking the Piracy Myth: How Illegal Fishing Really Interacts with Piracy in East Africa

RUSI Journal, Dec 2011, Vol. 156, No. 6 By Stig Jarle Hansen

Somali pirates have claimed, and some Western analysis repeated the idea, that illegal fishing has been an underlying cause and justification for piracy. But pirate behaviour is not consistent with this idea, and the claim that piracy started as a form of coast guard, protecting Somali fisheries, is dubious. Rather, piracy is motivated by the quest for profit. Nevertheless, illegal fishing narratives do contribute to the pirates’ local legitimacy, and need to be undermined in order to fight piracy.