Look at the numbers:
Dear reader, do not be misled by media reporting. Keep in mind that there are a lot of legitimate business interests not of the United States that are facing a difficult challenge with Somali piracy. However, there are no significant US business interests threatened by Somali piracy, Somali piracy does not represent even a minor economic threat to the United States. Even with the hijacking of a Saudi supertanker, and even if every supertanker from the Persian Gulf has to take the long route around the Cape of Good Hope, this amounts to less than 1 penny per gallon cost for the American citizen.
Perspective is important. The most serious cost estimates of Somalia piracy are suggesting it is having a $14 billion dollar impact, and that is probably a very optimistic guess because I honestly can't find more than $1 billion, and I study this stuff. For context, assuming $14 billion dollars, then that doesn't account for much in a $7.8 trillion dollar global industry. Even at the super estimate of $14 billion dollars, that means piracy is impacting the industry a whole 0.1%.
