Pirates have seized a Saudi tanker with 100 million dollars worth of oil off the coast of Somalia. Michael Schatzberg, African Studies Professor at UW Madison, says its anarchy in the country.
"Basically there is no government in Somalia and there hasn't been a government in Somalia for sometime."
Two major regions have seceded and are not recognized internationally. Only in the central city of Mogadishu lies a centralized form of government with little power outside of the city borders.
Somali pirates have been targeting vessels recently but Saturday's hijacking is their most ambitious attempt. Schatzberg says the only way to ensure piracy stops is by rebuilding a legitimate Somali state.
US and international forces have responded only by observing the situation.
