United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has stated that despite the U.S. proposal to send a multinational peacekeeping force to Somalia, there is practically no international support for such an effort. The New York Times article reports that although Ban Ki-Moon has asked at least 50 countries and 3 international organizations to back such a force, there have been no volunteers.
As we mentioned in an October blog post, piracy off the Somali coast is inextricably linked to lawlessness and fighting in Somalia. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made this case in her speech to the UN Security Council on December 16, and Ban makes similar statements in a UN News Centre article.
On December 16 the UN Security Council declared that "[s]tates and regional organizations cooperating in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off Somalia’s coast--for which prior notification had been provided by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government to the Secretary-General--could undertake all necessary measures 'appropriate in Somalia', to interdict those using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake such acts." You can read the Security Council's authorization here.
You can find additional resources, from both the U.S. and the UN, on our guide to Foreign Relations & International Aid.
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