thedrifter
06-16-09, 08:18 AM
A military solution will not solve the pirate problem
June 15, 10:33 PM
Pirate activity in the Horn of Africa will not be solved by a purely military solution. As noted previously, piracy itself is really the symptom, not the cause of the problem.
The two dozen or so naval vessels in the area can go a ways towards holding down on the number of pirated merchantmen but they can't stop the activity completely. The replacement costs for the pirates is so low, that the pirates can absorb large losses and still continue the plunder. And we're not even able to deliver large losses, the area is simply too large and the military resources stretched too thin to act as an effective deterrent.
If we truly want to stop the piracy we need to stabilize the situation on the ground and take away the pirate's safe havens, their land based sources for supply and new recruits. A Marine expeditionary force could probably accomplish this, the Marines have been to the shores of Tripooi they can also go to the shores of Mogadishu. But we tried to enforce our will militarily in Somalia once before and remember how badly that turned out. Besides which, I doubt the American public has the stomach for starting a third war in the region.
We could ramp up the rules of engagement and shoot a few more pirates, maybe bomb their hideouts and mansions and try a commando raid or two to free the captives. Something is bound to go wrong if and when we do, just like it did with the French in April. Again I doubt the American public has the stomach for the inevitable loss of innocent life.
So we're stuck with trying to accomplish a diplomatic solution to a 19 year old civil war, and I suspect the Somali pirates are going to be around for quite a while to come.
Ellie
June 15, 10:33 PM
Pirate activity in the Horn of Africa will not be solved by a purely military solution. As noted previously, piracy itself is really the symptom, not the cause of the problem.
The two dozen or so naval vessels in the area can go a ways towards holding down on the number of pirated merchantmen but they can't stop the activity completely. The replacement costs for the pirates is so low, that the pirates can absorb large losses and still continue the plunder. And we're not even able to deliver large losses, the area is simply too large and the military resources stretched too thin to act as an effective deterrent.
If we truly want to stop the piracy we need to stabilize the situation on the ground and take away the pirate's safe havens, their land based sources for supply and new recruits. A Marine expeditionary force could probably accomplish this, the Marines have been to the shores of Tripooi they can also go to the shores of Mogadishu. But we tried to enforce our will militarily in Somalia once before and remember how badly that turned out. Besides which, I doubt the American public has the stomach for starting a third war in the region.
We could ramp up the rules of engagement and shoot a few more pirates, maybe bomb their hideouts and mansions and try a commando raid or two to free the captives. Something is bound to go wrong if and when we do, just like it did with the French in April. Again I doubt the American public has the stomach for the inevitable loss of innocent life.
So we're stuck with trying to accomplish a diplomatic solution to a 19 year old civil war, and I suspect the Somali pirates are going to be around for quite a while to come.
Ellie