The World’s Most Utterly Failed State

Piracy is one of the oldest legacies of globalization; as goods are traded among increasingly connected peoples, others carve their place in the global economy by disrupting trade and stealing what they can on the high seas. Since the end of its "Golden Age" in the 1800s, piracy has taken on a largely nostalgic role in pop culture and travel attractions in the West, but remains a multibillion dollar industry in war-torn areas such as Somalia. There, warlords have fought for power since the fall of Siad Barre in 1991 and the international community's relative neglect since the "Black Hawk Down" incident of 1993. The commandeering of the MV Faina has brought Somalia back to the front pages, revealing how the nation’s disconnection from the global community has facilitated conditions within the country so that piracy is a lucrative and unchecked industry. A "symptom of the power vacuum" inside the country, according to this article in the Economist, piracy has earned its perpetrators $100 million this year. Meanwhile, Somalia received $14 million from the UN Development Program. Neglected by global institutions and lacking in international interconnectedness, Somalia is a tragic result of globalization's tendency to hop, skip, and jump around the globe rather than spread in equal fashion. – YaleGlobal