200 years ago on the Barbary Coast (NW Africa/latter day Morocco), pirates had got used to raiding European shipping at will, and eventually were getting paid huge sums in protection money from most mainland European powers. The pirates then made the mistake of raiding US shipping. After a few craven backdowns due to lack of naval power, the US finally sent a raiding party across the Atlantic and fucked the Barbary pirates up - twice. After that, no more US shipping was raided. Funny that. Interestingly enough, the pirates never tried to raid British ships. I wonder why that was? Piracy is based on incentives - we just captured you, how much are willing to pay to stay alive? Anti-piracy is also based on inventives. Dear Mr Pirate, we are willing to see your hostages die, but we guarantee you will die also if you don't release them. How keen are you to keep or kill your hostages if it means certain death for you? Piracy and its elimination are just basic poker and balls. He who cares least wins.
I can just imagine a Greek version of Dr. Zhivodka putting this kind of question to Alexander the Great circa 336 BC.
Yeah because losing a life is THE most important thing in achieving law & order. That's why it's always a bad idea to fight a war - someone might die! I guess Neville Chamberlain is your political hero. What expertise did George Washington have in empire-overthrow? This is what happens when old farts open their mouth. Anyone who doesn't have 30 years experience is worthless...
Here is some interesting information on that. Muslims haven't changed a bit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War "In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman or (Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). Upon inquiring "concerning the ground of the pretensions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury", the ambassador replied: It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise. He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once."
From a report: "NBC television and CBS radio said the lifeboat had drifted to within 20 miles of the Somali coast, and that U.S. military officials feared that if the craft reached the shore, the pirates might escape with their hostage on land." Are you kidding me? They would let it drift to shore and just let the pirates waltz away with their hostage? I think the navy needs to get the FBI out of there and put some SEALs in charge. Get a line on that lifeboat and tow it where ever they want it. I can't believe the navy guys are this clueless. This thing is being moicromanaged from the White House. Maybe Jimmy Carter is handling it.
This whole Pirates story does not add up. Let's look a some facts: 1. One again we are told that guys living in caves or whatever, are overpowering the entire Western Military industrial complex by use of small amrs (or box cutters, or whatever, pick your BS line). These guys can apparently seize any Western ship, any time. And we are powerless and helpless despite countries like the USA spending more on military and WMD than almost every country combined?? 2. USA military has bases in, or occupies, something like 140 countires Can they not spare 50 army guys to post on every ship in the Somalia region??? This would prevent every highjacking. Not to mention the UK and Indian navies. 3. The West has satellites that can see and count the hairs on the back of your neck almost, they have submarines that can hear half-way around the world from under the sea. And yet we cannot stop a few amateurs in motorboats and armed with small arms? 4. Who gains from this? Well it does hurt the oil supply which is great if you are a military oil junta (like the USA, Russia, and all the Kasikstans etc) Once again I suspect we have a band of terrorists who is armed, funded, and set lose by the West in order to cause CHAOS in an oil rich country.
We could easily prevent these hijackings, that's not the problem. We simply don't have the balls to do what is required in order to acomplish that task.