London Conference on Somalia – “Talk, Talk, Talk” February 24, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, London Conference on Somalia, mark consulting group, Piracy & Maritime Security, security
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On February 23, 2012 the London Conference on Somalia was held. The conference brought together representatives from 40 different nations including US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The impetus for the conference was not solely piracy rather the idea that Somalia, as a failed state, may become the Worlds’ largest safe haven for Islamic extremists. As stated: “For two decades politicians in the West have too often dismissed the problems in Somalia as simply too difficult and too remote to deal with,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told the summit. “Engagement has been sporadic and half-hearted. That fatalism has failed Somalia. And it has failed the international community too.” While the nations came together to talk about the future of Somalia, it seemed to have a familiar ring harkening back to 1991-1994. “In many ways, I think I was more confident before the summit,” said researcher, and Somali specialist Anyimadu at Chatham House. “All this emphasis on security and talk of airstrikes — there’s a real risk we will simply repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Published Articles: – “Geopolitical Context of Piracy” February 24, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, Uncategorized.Tags: Dr. Heather Mark, geopolitical context of piracy, Maritime Security, markconsultinggroup.com, Piracy & Maritime Security, pirate as a rational actor, security
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UPDATE: The company that published the articles contacted Heather and has agreed to pull the articles off their website. This is good news and shows that the copany is interested in ensuring their readers get original work from the original author. In an interesting twist, the company representative stated that, when asked, the party who submitted the articles stated “unequivocally” that it was their work. Considering that the company pulled the articles, Heather has a PhD and background in defense, and political economy, and has published over 100 articles, scores of whitepapers, research briefs and other material as well as possessing the original whitepaper from which it was taken, I think the readers are savvy enough to know the actual author of the work. It certainly seems unlikely that a person who has never published a single article or other document would embark on something as complex as: “the Geopolitical Context of Piracy” for their first foray into writing.
Two years ago my wife, Dr. Heather Mark wrote a whitepaper on the Geopolitical Context of Piracy that has since been broken into its component sections and published verbatim as 4 different articles without any form of attribution to her. She was contacted by the organization that published the articles today to ask about her work and attribution. To assuage any concerns that it is indeed her sole work and not anybody else’s work here is a copy of the whitepaper. “Understanding Modern Piracy; Geopolitical and Regulatory Considerations”….the first section is titled: “Geopolitical Considerations”, the next section is titled: “Current Anti-Piracy Efforts”. Heather is a brilliant person and a tremendous righter writer (thanks to Heather’ brother Bill for pointing this out;). There are times that I certainly would like to “borrow” her work and claim it as my own. I would certainly appear smarter and more informed than I actually am. As professional writers (yup, we actually get paid to write;) it is disturbing when someone uses your work without attribution.
Kudos to the company for maintaining the integrity of its service and evaluating the content and writers.
Egypt States Position on Armed Guards and Weapons February 22, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, weapons and tactics.Tags: armed security, Chris Mark, Egypt, Maritime Security, mark consulting group, markconsultinggroup.com, Piracy & Maritime Security, UK P&I
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UK P&I Club released a bulletin that outlines Egypt’s position on armed guards and weapons within Egypt and its waters. Below are the salient points of the letter received from the Egyptian Government:
“1) The Egyptian Government forbids the presence of any Weapons / Armed Guards on
board of commercial vessels as per the rules and regulations of the International Maritime Organization. (more…)
Armed Guards Kill Two Indian Fisherman- “…suspected to be pirates” February 21, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security.Tags: Chris Mark, Enrica Lexie, italian navy, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, mark consulting group, Piracy & Maritime Security, pirates killed, pirates shot, security
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According to the Times of India, armed guard aboard an Italian merchant (Enrica Lexie) vessel shot and killed two Indian fisherman last night that they “…suspected to be pirates.” According to the Italian government, the vessel did not respond to warning lights. According to the Indian fisherman, no prior warning was given. Here is where it gets somewhat questionable: “Two fishermen in a boat were killed after guards onboard the Italian merchant vessel fired at them off Alapuzha coast last evening, suspecting them to be pirates.” While the facts are not yet public on what exactly happened, my personal view is that this particular episode is has serious issues. Based on other reports, the guards were members of the Italian navy and NOT private security. (more…)
Armed Guards- The end of the “Golden Age” of Somali Piracy? February 17, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Piracy & Maritime Security, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: armed security, Chris Mark, Maritime Security, mark consulting group, markconsultinggroup.com, Piracy & Maritime Security, somali pirates
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Debate over the use of armed guards has raged for several years as the those who advocate for the use of armed guards applaud their use and those who oppose their use argue that they are ineffective or exacerbate the problem. Last year I wrote a whitepaper on how armed guards prevent hijackings. (Deterrence Theory). With 2012 we are finally are beginning to see objective data on the impact of armed guards. David Rider’s article: “The Pirate Surge That Never Was” outlines some interesting facts that demonstrate that armed guards are the best line of defense for a ship in high risk waters. According to statistics in the article, October 2011 saw 26 attacks with only one successful hijacking. Of the 26 attacks in October 2011, fully 16 of them were repelled by armed guards on the vessels. November 2011 saw 11 attacks with 5 being repelled by armed guards.
When asked why pirate attacks are down in 2011, Robert Young Pelton, who publishes SomaliaReport.com states unequivocally: (more…)
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