Editor's note: William Jelani Cobb is Associate Professor of History at Spelman College, and author of the forthcoming "Change Has Come: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Progress." He blogs at http://americanexception.com/ William Jelani Cobb says Somalia's piracy problem was fueled by environmental and political events. (CNN) -- The drama of an American ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates led last Sunday's talk shows. Just hours before Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips was rescued, the piracy incident was discussed as one of the "tests" of President Obama that Joe Biden warned about during the campaign. Others wondered whether wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched our military resources too thin to respond effectively to these kinds of provocations. Many expressed outrage at the brand of naval gangsterism that by some estimates generated as much as $80 million in 2008.
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William Jelani Cobb: Somalia piracy being seen as test of Obama's foreign policy
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He says piracy developed in wake of political and environmental problems
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Cobb: U.S. cared about Somalia, like Afghanistan, during the Cold War
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He says U.S. lack of interest in the country helped to let piracy develop
Our intense and highly selective outrage began when the @placeholder started targeting commercial vehicles.