Contemporary Maritime Piracy in Southeast Asia: History, Causes and Remedies

3. Causative Factors of Contemporary Piracy

3. Causative Factors of Contemporary Piracy 57 3 Causative Factors of Contemporary Piracy This chapter will explore causative factors of contemporary piracy through the lens of state control, exploring three aspects: (1) the marginalization of maritime peoples, (2) gaps in the political hegemony of states, and (3) tools, intelligence, tactics, and complimentary technology. The first section will examine the marginalization of maritime peoples, emphasizing economic conditions, access to and participation in national identities, and the role of a widespread maritime-oriented socio-cultural matrix. The second section will explore gaps in the political hegemony of regional states and why they have developed, which create space for piracy and other illicit activities that, in turn, further widen these gaps and stimulate an environment where piracy can grow. The third section will look at some of the operational details of piracy, discussing factors that allow them to operate effectively as well as factors affecting the state’s ability to address piracy. At the end of each section these factors will be compared with the causative factors of historical piracy detailed in Chapter 2. From this comparison a continuity of causative factors emerges suggesting how the roots of contemporary piracy may be addressed. The final section will be a summary of the causative factors and historical continuities and discontinuities of piracy. MARGINALIZATION OF MARITIME-ORIENTED PEOPLE There is a large segment of maritime-oriented peoples in Southeast Asia living a marginalized lifestyle, which collectively forms a large potential labour pool for piracy.1 This marginalized group of maritime-oriented peoples not only forms a labour pool for piracy from which the majority of piracy stems, but it also constitutes the majority of victims as well. The first section will discuss the endemic poverty of many maritimeoriented peoples, and how uneven economic and weak political development over the last thirty years has done little to improve their 03 ContemMP Ch 3 3/8/07, 9:53 AM 57 58 CONTEMPORARY MARITIME PIRACY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA conditions or draw them under state control. This theme will be further expanded upon in terms of the state’s inability to provide many maritime peoples with a constructive role in the national identity. This situation will be examined further by drawing parallels between Hobsbawm’s ideas on social banditry and piracy, as well as discussing the motivation inherent in the close proximity of “haves” and “have-nots”. The final section will highlight and examine continuities and discontinuities between contemporary and historical causative factors of piracy, drawing on relevant historical context from Chapter 2. Economic Development and Globalization Over the last thirty years the processes of globalization have stimulated widespread economic growth throughout Southeast and East Asia, leading to a rapid pace of development. When measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and the standard measures of industrial output, as well as standard markers of human conditions like literacy, infant mortality rates, and life expectancy, Southeast Asia has made impressive progress since the 1960s.2 Despite post-modern debates about definitions of poverty, overall real strides have been made in reducing poverty, and generally increasing the material standard of life for people in many parts of Southeast Asia.3 However, the rapid economic development of the last thirty years has been uneven, and has had unintended, negative consequences that are important for understanding why piracy has resurfaced as a significant threat in the region. One of the primary problems is that political development in the region has not kept pace with economic development.4 Despite unprecedented growth and the very real material gains that have been made, there are still large portions of populations that have either been left behind without access to economic opportunity, or have become unwitting victims of the rapid economic development, including many groups of maritime-oriented peoples. Historic social networks are breaking down as traditional economic and social systems give way and adapt to the pace of modernization.5 Many regional governments are unwilling or unable to help those who are being left behind. Factories are attracting thousands of young people from villages to pursue more viable livelihoods and, while many continue to financially support their families, their absence is a missing link in the traditional social security network. This combined with an almost complete lack of institutionalized social security has left many facing new survival challenges. 03 ContemMP Ch 3 3/8/07, 9:53 AM 58 3. Causative Factors...