When analyzing the blockbuster film Black Hawk Down in class we discussed the differences in “organization” between the American army and the Somalian militants. Similar to the opening Kilgore scene from the movie “Apocalypse Now,” in the first part of the first attack scene the director of Blawk Hawk Down presents the American army flying over the ocean onto the SOmalian mainland. This illustration captures the Black Hawk helicopters as very quiet, graceful, and moving in accord. At this point it is hard to imagine that these machines were made for destruction. This type of beauty turns into chaos as the camera turns to the heart of Mogadishu, where people are frantically moving around, yelling and congested. Once the general of the Somalian army gets word of the oncoming United States attack, his signal to the rest of his troops to prepare for attack seems very informal and sporadic. Troops, of all ages and dressed in very different clothes, quickly rush to racks of AK-47 assault riffles and head into the streets. There does not appear to be a directed order from the Somalian general; the insinuated order is along the line of the expression “kill or be killed.” The apparent disparity in military organization led us to the conclusion that the poorer and “more corrupt” country of Somalia was not on the same level as America.

This assumption of organization is one that people have also given to the Somalian pirates today. To think that relativley small groups of men, riding through turbulent ocean waters in small speed boats, are capable of overtaking large commercial tankers and cruise line ships seems inconceivable.  The reality of this situation, however, is that these “unorganized” terrorist groups are more organized than we think. In a recent CNN news article. it was reported that at an international conference concerning the pirate issue in Somalia, a total of $213 million was put up to help tame the situation. The last time I checked, unorganized groups of criminals never needed $213 million worth of defense.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/24/pirates.security.meeting.money/index.html?iref=newssearch