Somali pirates have been more active of late, and have recently seized a Japanese-owned chemical tanker. Piracy off the Horn of Africa dropped precipitously in the six months preceding the Ethiopian invasion, but has (predictably) increased since. Piracy is a problem that is essentially driven by failed states; even in areas of multiple, overlapping, and generally confused sovereignty, navies can do a pretty good job of eradicating piracy when they commit themselves to the project. Piracy in the Straits of Malacca, for example, has fallen substantially from the highs it reached a few years ago, in no small part due to the efforts of Malaysia and Indonesia, facilitated by the United States Navy. Jason Sigger of Armchair Generalist has been getting some good material from the Pentagon sponsored Blogger's Roundtable lately. The latest discussion regarded the establishment of AFRICOM, noting that the responsibilities of the new command were primarily going to be maritime for the immediate future. In a previous, related iteration Sigger got a chance to talk to Admiral Gary Roughead, who clarified some aspects of USN strategy. Both of the discussions shed light on precisely what the US military will be doing in and around Africa, and both are worth checking out. --Robert Farley
