Comments on: Responding to Piracy on the Somali Coast

By: Concerned East African

Concerned East African — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:44:51 +0000

It is easy to end Somali coastline piracy – destroy the pirate mother ships (just like in the movie Independence Day) – then the pirates’ speedboats will not be able to reach 500 km offshore.

The mother ships are large and easily detectable via satellite – the pirate crews occasionally return for arms, food, fuel and rest. If these are eliminated or forced back into territorial waters, there will be less likelihood of attacks in the deep oceans.

By: Scotswolf59

Scotswolf59 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:53:30 +0000

Any merchant ship transiting thru the waters off Somalia should be armed & the crewmen trained in the proper usage (and restraint of use) of these weapons. Plain & simple. The merchant marine navies of the world were all armed during WWII, why not against pirates? .50 cals. forward and astern, port & starboard are gonna make any pirate think twice……

By: tarran

tarran — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:32:42 +0000

The pirates were not wiped out. The military campaigns ended with peace treaties between the U.S. and the local warlords. The First Barbary War The Second Barbary War

By: jae kim

jae kim — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:18:03 +0000

The US Marine song has a line …to the shores of tripoli… US marines landed on the Barbary coast about 150 years ago and wiped out the pirates of the time. Back then, shipping was far far more important. The solution then was to attack the infrastructure on shore. That seems to be the solution today.

By: Norm

Norm — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:12:59 +0000

Why the hell cant the MSN be as informative as this? Do they have their collective heads up their arses.

By: David Gellman

David Gellman — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:10:37 +0000

The industrialized nations of the world should organize WWII style convoys. Military vessels would escort the merchant vessels as the pass the Somoli coast. Military force could be employed to repel pirates.

By: Persnickety curmudgeon

Persnickety curmudgeon — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:39:27 +0000

Jiminy Cricket! We have 4 unemployed Somali’s in a row boat holding a US destroyer at bay and we are breaking long standing tradition and policy by negotiating with terrorists no matter how inept….this is downright sad and dangerous…Americans the world over will be less safe because we did not just shoot them down plane and simple…

By: ka1igu1a

ka1igu1a — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:51:36 +0000

great post, tarran…

By: Jack McHugh

Jack McHugh — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:26:18 +0000

Meanwhile, the latest from the hostage crisis on the news, “The U.S. is sending two warships.”

Don’t dignify this by sending warships! Send half a dozen SEALs in speedboat with twin-.50 mounting in the bow, a’ la’ the PBR in Apocalypse Now.

And then make a deal with these pathetic thugs:

“Here’s the deal: You let the captain go, and you get to live.”

As for the broader problem, step one in any solution is deciding you want to solve it. The U.S. political class and post-modern Europe are too morally adrift to do so. Maybe some up-and-coming liberal nation like India could do it.

By: Jon G

Jon G — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:11:02 +0000

One of the rare articles from a Western source that understands the conflict and does not seek to force an idealized system of government and structure onto the nation. I would recommend reading the works of Dr. Weinstein on this issue. I had the honor of studying Somalia in a class taught by him and his occasional writings at Garowe.com are some of the most information-rich sources on the current state of the country.