That is a just a little bit overblown.
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The Great Pirates off the Somali Coast thread
- Thread starter Beefalo
- Start date
That is a just a little bit overblown.
Do you have any idea how many ships actually travel the high seas? 60 is only a fraction of the ship that pass through that area. They are not just including big merchant chips but large fishing vessels and personal yachts. While we are the de facto guarantor of the freedom of the seas, it does not mean that we should be involved with every single thing that goes on.
Pirates make for good press, but their impact is not as big as some reports would have you believe. The international community is slowly moving to creating a larger task force than is now there to help take care of the problem, probably the right way to go.
Why is it not our problem so much? When was the last time a US ship was hijacked? When was the last time any goods bound to the US were hijacked? Other than being a minor nuisance, what impact does it have on the US at all?
I am not saying we should do nothing, we are already doing a lot more than almost any other countries. We are getting help from our allies, like Denmark and Britain. And like I mentioned before, they will probably get some more help soon. But exactly how much effort do we want to put out for a bunch of idiotic thugs in simple skiffs with nothing but RPG's and AK-47's? Do we really want to blanket the area with Burkes and Ticos? Is it really worth it to us?
And get your facts right, only 26 ships have been taken by the pirates this year out of 62 attacked. Maybe merchant sailors, fishermen and yachters ought to be looking at what the other 36 ships did not get hijacked.
Here is the actual paper
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12203_1008piracysomalia.pdf
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12203_1008piracysomalia.pdf
Absolutely will not happen. Haven't the free manpower to crew a paint punt let alone assault a ship off Somalia.
Sink it.
I say we let individial countries get their own boats back.
That would give them a reason to have real navies. I don't want that.
That's a short-sided viewpoint. The current moral high ground we stand on and our largest export is the security and stability we provide to most of the world. When anything reduces that capacity or appears to contradict it, we simply become imperialists in the eyes of others. Hence, international opinion of us has taken a vastly negative dip ever since OIF.
I have trouble seeing why the US should do anything right now. Our only real interest is making sure that the tanks stay in the right hands. Parking a warship right there prevents that. That puts the hijackers at a disadvantage at the negotiations because they now have to deal with two groups (the US and the Ukrainians) separately. With the US not willing to negotiate, any deal that they reach with Ukraine has to involve giving the ships back.
The hijackers now also have to worry about an escape plan. Something that they didn't have to before. The US isn't just going to let them walk away after getting a ransom and leaving the ship.They previously just drove out to see and got off and let the original crew take the ship.
The US has not intervened militarily on previous hijackings and there is no reason to change now unless the Ukrainian government specifically asks for help. The US warship there effectively mutes the bargaining power of the tanks. The is no way that the hijackers are going to be able get away with them.
The hijackers now also have to worry about an escape plan. Something that they didn't have to before. The US isn't just going to let them walk away after getting a ransom and leaving the ship.They previously just drove out to see and got off and let the original crew take the ship.
The US has not intervened militarily on previous hijackings and there is no reason to change now unless the Ukrainian government specifically asks for help. The US warship there effectively mutes the bargaining power of the tanks. The is no way that the hijackers are going to be able get away with them.
BullGator
Active Member
I'm concerned about the RPGs too.
No it isn't, it is a very rational and realistic viewpoint. The security and stability that we 'export' is only when it suits our needs, we rarely do it for charity. While I like to think that I have a pretty 'idealistic' view of our foreign policy, I have no illusions that we primarily do things that benefit us and not merely so the world at large can get together and sing kumbaya. The piracy in the region is not as large scale a threat as has been suggested in the press anyways.
The tanks are not too much of a worry, it is the stuff they can carry off by hand that is of a little concern. It is not going anywhere.
Depends on your definition of a "merchant vessel."
Numerous vessels have been sunk in a recent time-frame. Whether they're "ships," or if you classify a "fishing vessel" as a "merchant" is up for debate. I'm not sure a ship could hit itself with a torpedo, let alone another surface vessel.