According to an independent Somali news source, about 70 percent of Somalis support piracy as a form of national defense. There IS a diplomatic solution to the conflict, if the U.S. is willing to engage with Somali civil society, Somali elders, and the transitional government as legitimate actors with legitimate concerns. Echoing the sentiment of much of the population, Somali journalist Mohamed Abshir Waldo writes: “With its usual double standards when such matters concern Africa, the ‘international community’ comes out in force to condemn and declare war against the Somali fishermen pirates while discreetly protecting the numerous Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing fleets there from Europe, Arabia and the Far East.”