Pirate Shootout

An interesting development...

Pirates have shootout over oil tanker release AP (Katharine Houreld)
Four killed as pirates fight over record ransom (AFP)

After apparently begging international forces to chase off a rival gang waiting to welcome them to shore, four of the pirates who received a record ransom ($7m, according to some accounts) for the oil tanker Maran Centaurus, were killed in an ensuing firefight. To my knowledge, this is the first time an open confrontation has taken place between two pirate gangs. The stakes are getting bigger.

Heroes in a Land of Pirates

Great news: the New York Times published my Op-Ed piece today, titled Heroes in a Land of Pirates. I'm not exactly sure who the "heroes" in question refer to, but that's not the important thing right now. The article discusses the need to engage Puntland as an international partner in order to tackle the piracy problem.

In other news, my New Year's plane adventure was an epic letdown. As we were taking off I asked one of the stewardesses if they would be serving champagne at midnight, and received a coquettish "We'll see." Not only was there no champagne, there was no countdown to midnight, nor any announcement from the captain or cabin chief, nor any signs of life from the deadbeat passengers. It was not a magical New Year's club, as I had expected, but one of the most depressing places imaginable to spend the night. Good thing I had a whole row of seats to myself-- I slept the entire way.