Analyzing the Legal Doctrine on Necessity of Equaling Modern Piracy with Terrorism (with Emphasis on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia)

The modern piracy is one of the global challenges which has been undermining maritime security and international trade especially off the coast of Somalia. This challenge has been to the extent that leads to the intervening of the Security Council. One of the main problem in coping with modern piracy is the inefficiency of anti-piracy measures contained in the Law of See Convention. In fact, new forms of piracy has been accompanied with new technologies, but legal measures against it are old fashioned ones. For serious combating against piracy, it requires to go beyond existing Law of Sea. One of these measures is equating piracy crime with terrorism. To overcome the shortcomings and limitations of the international law of piracy, it should be taken account as similar with terrorism, because there are many similarities between these two categories. Among these similarities, we can indicate to elements such as both being criminal, organized, transnational and growing in anarchical and lawlessness areas. Using international anti-terrorism legal mechanisms in anti-piracy combat will pay off part of the limitations of existing international legal system on piracy.